Together
by BaagelScribbles
Summary: Wilson believed that he would be better off secluded and alone throughout most of his life. His perspective changed once he was thrown into a confusing and dark land. It was a terrible place, to say the least, but the people that he would meet there would soon mean everything to him. Rated T for language and some minor dark themes; warnings will be provided if necessary.
1. The Constant

**I do not own_ Don't Starve_ or any of its characters**

**Words: 4,839**

**Warnings: Some swearing**

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_This all has to be some kind of weird dream that I am having,_ Wilson thought stubbornly to himself as he was thrown face down onto the ground, his pale face got covered in dirt and grass, _My eyes are closed tight and I am laying down…so it must all be a dream, right? This whole week has been nothing but a nightmare, I am sure nothing else could ever reason what just happened to me._

He was lying to himself, of course, in a painfully unconvincing way. His logical and almost narrowminded way of thinking was panicking and he needed an explanation as soon as possible. Despite that, he had a deep feeling beginning to grow inside of his gut that there was no way he was going to get an explanation anytime soon. That didn't help to calm himself down at all.

One moment he was in the luxury of his own tiny, secluded home and the very next, he was thrown down face first on the ground. Everything had gone black in his _'adventure'_ to the outside world. He remembered feeling a very tight…almost gripping sensation around his torso as the contents of his house turned upside down and he felt himself fall down until he landed on the ground.

"Perhaps there was an explosion," he said out loud with a mouthful of dirt, hardly even caring about that anymore, "It must have been. That machine...I think it may have malfunctioned. Not like it would not have been the first time that I have failed at an experiment-"

Wilson then stopped himself from speaking, suddenly remembering one simple fact: He had received some help that time around. The voice that had spoken to him…that creepy, ominous, tempting, and dark song of a voice that tempted him through his old radio as if he were an old friend of his; though, Wilson swore that he had never heard that voice once in his life. When the strange man had started to talk to him about a week before this all happened, Wilson had contemplated the idea of calling the cops. But Wilson quickly decided against it because what on earth would he even tell them? _"Please, help me! My broken radio started speaking to me and telling me to make something for them!"_ Fat chance of him not getting sent to a mental hospital for saying something as strange as that...

Finally allowing himself to lift his head to look up at where he was, Wilson spits out the dirt that found its way into his mouth in disgust. The scientist's dark eyes widened as he felt a deep shiver run down his spine. He was laying in a large field of green grass that was spotted with pine trees. Healthy bushes and flowers were painted over the horizon line, as well as colorful butterflies that fluttered around them. With closer inspection, he also noticed that the bushes were filled with ripe, red berries and there were carrots just barely sticking out of the ground. It was quite a cloudy day but the sun was still shining brightly above him.

_What in the…?_ He looked up at the sun in surprise, shielding his eyes with his hand. The position of the sun suggested it was just about noon. Wilson gulped, _What happened to nighttime? It was barely past 10:00 pm when I was thrown out of my home! Did I pass out…?_

"Home…" he mumbled softly and grumpily, quickly glancing around again as he stood up on his feet completely. His house was nowhere near wherever he was as far as he could tell. He was in a beautiful and fairly quiet, clear field of grass, no forests or anything of the sort in sight. Rubbing his forehead, Wilson let out a deep sigh.

_What was possibly running through my head? Listening to that man without so much as asking for his name…?_ he scolded himself, _Me and my own ridiculous curiosity…it will someday be the death of me, no doubt of that._

Rubbing his arms, Wilson felt another chill slide down his spine. Though he didn't want to admit it, he could barely remember anything from the past week. Ever since the man began to talk with him over the radio, things got hazy and he started seeing things. He could hardly recall what it took to build the damn machine in the first place. It felt as though everything went by so fast from that point on. He knew for a fact that he hadn't ingested anything remotely hallucinogenic so it couldn't have been anything like that at all.

"Whatever it was that made me land here, I must wait to find that out later. Keep your priorities straight, Wilson," he told himself, "I need to find my way back home first…"

Taking a step in a direction he picked randomly, Wilson began walking as he still tried to convince himself none of this was really happening to him.

After a while of walking, about forty-five minutes he tried to estimate, the scenery around him began to subtly change. The number of trees became less and less, while the number of flowers on the ground only grew. His feet started to slightly sink into the ground as he walked, almost sticking to it as the dirt seemed to only get wetter and wetter. He chose to ignore it, taking in a deep breath as he continued on. But he soon came across something he couldn't possibly ignore, a little pond out of the corner of his eye. It was the smallest pond he'd ever seen. Wilson stopped his walking and he raised an eyebrow at it. C_ould it even count as a pond? The water looks deep but still…_ Wilson wondered as it was just that little. But there was no mistaking it; the little pool of water was definitely a pond. No other word could describe the small body of water.

Looking around some more, he saw another pond just like that one in the distance. Walking towards the second one, he noticed another one…and then another…and then another…and then another…

"My goodness…" he muttered to himself as he quickened his pace away from them. To his dismay, the more he walked, the more ponds there was. A knot of nervousness formed in his stomach and he absolutely could not ignore the strong feeling of something being very wrong growing inside of him. He wasn't sure what it was, but the strange ponds and eerie quietness of the area unnerved him.

_**SPLASH!**_

Wilson walked even faster once he heard the sound of something jumping out of the pond. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat and heard it ringing throughout his entire head the faster he moved. He admittedly did not have the courage to look behind himself to see what had jumped out at first. Wilson wasn't sure if he'd want to see what it was anyways. But just like always, curiousness bit him like a bug and he felt he needed to see what it was for himself.

Curiosity, unsurprisingly, got the better of him and he turned his head around to see what it was that had jumped out of one of the ponds. An ugly and slimy frog, about four times the size of a softball, was jumping after him while waving its fat tongue in the air.

"Oh my god!" he practically squeaked, immediately booking it in the opposite direction of the frog. Wilson hadn't ever seen or even heard of a frog being such a peculiar size. As much as he wanted to, there was no time to stop to inspect it. One thing he could easily conclude was that the frog didn't seem to at all be very thrilled with him interrupting its peace and quiet.

_**SPLASH!**_

Wilson turned around again, hesitating as he heard the splashing sound again. Another frog was also hopping after him now as well. Unfortunately for Wilson, stopping like that allowed the first one to just barely catch up to him. The frog violently threw its surprisingly dry tongue out at Wilson, striking the scientist in the left leg. He bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep himself from screaming from the pain of the attack. Its tongue felt like a fat whip that was ruthlessly used against him. Sure, Wilson had gotten hurt in the past, but this was a pain that was absolutely nothing like he had ever experienced before.

Doing his best to power through the pain stinging in his leg, Wilson forced his feet forwards to run away from the angry frogs. He started to pick up his pace again and learned to just deal with the pain, his heavy breathing almost blocked out the noise of his beating heart…almost.

Wilson's mind was racing, trying to come up with a valid excuse for what was occurring. Was he going insane? To be fair, he had been seeing things for the past week after all. But this was a completely different experience for him. What he was seeing for the past week was strange shadows crawling up and down the walls and floors of his house out of the corner of his eye. And they were always an image that Wilson couldn't at all recognize as any person or animal he's ever seen; the best word to describe them was simply _'monster.'_ However, these things chasing him were certainly frogs...big, wet, and disgusting frogs that apparently have a vengeance against him.

_I am such a fool...such a stupid, ignorant fool…_ Wilson cursed himself, trying to come up with as many as words to describe his growing fury with himself. He wanted to be mad at the frogs, but he knew that this was all his fault and that he could only blame himself. _He_ listened to the stranger on the radio, _he_ built that damn machine, and _he_ was now lost and isolated, completely alone. The frogs didn't have anything to do with that, they only lived in this hellhole.

Cursing himself once again, Wilson stopped running to attempt to catch his breath for a minute. Quickly looking behind him, he saw the two frogs hopping back to their ponds, giving up on him to return to protect their territory from any unwanted visitors. _Note to self, _he thought with a small sigh, _remember that the frogs are most likely extremely territorial here._

He then hesitated for a moment, the word continued rippling through both of his ears and scrambled his brain.

_'here…'_

He was still trying to figure out where exactly _'here' _was. All he knew, was that he was indeed _there_ whether he wanted to be or not. It wasn't some kind of sick dream and Wilson felt himself starting to accept that, to his own shock.

"I may need to possibly get something to help with my leg…" he sighed, looking down at his leg. Lifting up his pant to examine it, the spot where the frog had hit him was already brushing and looked as sore as it felt. Thankfully, that was all that was wrong with it.

"Or not…" he huffed, pulling his pant leg back down to cover up the spot, "I suppose it could have been a lot worse than a bruise…"

Three days later, Wilson found himself figuring out that he was further from home than he thought to say the least. Going home seemed like less of an option for the time being while simply surviving was more of a focus of his. Wherever he was...it wasn't like anywhere he'd ever been to. On the surface, it didn't seem like anything more but an empty area but something was off with almost everything that lived there. The pigs walked on their hind legs and talked, the frogs attacked anything and everything with their tongues, and even the rabbits had strange white eyes with black antlers. Wilson wondered what would possibly be ruined next.

By his fourth day, he had managed to make a little fire pit out of some rocks he'd gathered from using his pickaxe. Wilson's camp was in an area that was green and grassy like the one he'd first been in, but it was also free of any frogs and had more trees present. His fire pit was placed just out of range of a large pine tree that he leaned against when sleeping or eating. Otherwise, he was almost always up and moving while getting himself food or other supplies.

He made himself a little desk that he put a small ways away from the large tree at the center of the base. He had been lucky enough to have found an empty journal and pencil laying down on the ground by a human skull (An unnerving sight for Wilson) that he used to jot down ideas while sitting on a stump of a tree he had cut down with an ax he'd made himself.

The morning of his fourth day there, Wilson finished up his notes for the time being and then grabbed his ax before venturing out for a while. He didn't need any food at the moment but he figured that he could look for other possible resources that he could find some use for.

After walking for a while, Wilson noticed that the ground around him started to get more hard...more rock-like. Piles of stones and flint started appearing everywhere and Wilson eagerly picked them up for later use.

"Never have I ever believed I would be excited to find rocks," he laughed knowingly at himself, rolling his eyes.

Moving forwards, Wilson continued to collect the simple supplies. He must have been out doing nothing else for at least two hours, maybe more. He didn't know since time stopped mattering to him as much these past four days. He only cared about day, dusk, and night at that point; Wilson didn't need a clock for that.

However long it had been, he suddenly was brought out of his thoughts when he smelled something in the air. It was a familiar but still an alarming smell. Wilson thought about it for a moment, trying to associate the smell with something until he saw a thick amount of black gas rise into the air from the distance.

"Smoke!" he gasped.

Wilson immediately disregarded what he was doing to run towards the smoke. Usually, he'd call for help in this situation. But he was willing to bet that he was the only one to help out.

Following the smoke, he could see what was on fire as he got closer to finding the source of the smoke. A little pine tree was on fire, seemingly because of nothing. It wasn't next to anything from what he could tell from where he was standing. But as he got closer to it, he was able to spot a figure that was dangerously close to its flames. The figure turned out to be a skinny, young woman about the same age as Wilson with thin, pale skin and thick, curly, black hair. She was looking up at the tree with her bright eyes, the reflection of the fire glowed almost _unnaturally_ in them. The woman was wearing a collared shirt that was a soft red color. She also had on a black skirt, tights and black boots. Finally, she seemed to be holding an old lighter.

"Hey!" Wilson quickly shouted at her, running closer, "Get away from the fire! You will get yourself hurt!"

The young woman pulled her gaze from the burning tree to look over at Wilson in surprise. Ignoring the fact that he yelled at her about the burning tree, she gripped the lighter at the handle even tighter and frowned. She didn't even move another muscle as she asked, "Who are you?"

"But the fire! You really need to-"

_"Answer me!"_ she demanded, pointing the lighter at him.

Throwing up his hands up in surrender, he immediately replied, "Wilson Higgsbury! And may I please ask, who are you…?"

"Willow," she said, taking in a deep breath and lowering her lighter.

"Miss Willow…" he thought out loud before telling her urgently, "Get away from the tree!"

Willow all of a sudden burst into laughter, covering her mouth as she did so. Wilson's eyes widened in shock, _I attempt to save her life and she laughs at me?_

Finally calming herself down, Willow finally walked away from the tree to move towards Wilson. Setting her lighter into her pocket, she put her thin hands on her hips.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," she smiled kindly, a fair contrast to the look of pure anger in her eyes when he first spoke with her.

"Regardless," Wilson cleared his throat, "how did you even get here? When did you get here?"

Willow glanced at the ground nervously before answering, "It was probably n-nothing...you'd think I was crazy."

"Believe me, I do not think anything you say will bother me at this point," he shrugged honestly.

"Well…" she sighed, taking a brief moment to fix her bangs with her hand, "I think I was _brought_ to this accursed place...I'm not sure by who exactly but I have a hunch it was the man that...just started talking to me…"

Wilson's jaw nearly dropped to the rocky ground, "Did he talk to you through a radio?"

"No…" she mumbled with a perplexed look on her face, "but he had a deep and commanding voice. It sounded like he probably was a regular smoker. You know how you can just tell someone smokes by just the sound of their voice? He started talking to me through...through something from my childhood. Th-That's why it freaked me out...it wouldn't talk like...like that. Not that it ever would or anything! Anyways, he knew my name and everything about me...knew exactly how to pull at my strings like I was some kind of puppet. I've never even heard his voice before."

Wilson put a hand on his hip and rubbed his chin with his other hand, looking at the ground as he pondered what she told him. Furrowing his brows, he asked her, "When did he start talking to you."

"Hmm...I'd say about a week before I got here," she told him and then added, "I have been here for two days."

"I have been here for four…" Wilson told her, looking down at her again, "That man...he started talking to me a week before I got here. Did he happen to tell you anything about him or no…?"

"He told me his name was Maxwell," she shivered, "the whole time he tried to...get me to do something. I didn't agree to it until...until…"

"Until he made it worth your while?" Wilson helped.

She nodded, "Yeah...told me he'd give me the freedom to be who I am," Willow rubbed her arm, "I was in a bad spot...that's all. He had me make a machine...when I did and turned it on, I was taken here."

"Hmm, I see," he nodded slowly, taking a mental note of the sensitive topic, "He offered me knowledge beyond what I already have. I had to make a machine too..."

"So you're smart?" Willow tilted her head to the side with an amused smile.

"I uh," his eyebrows perked up, genuinely shocked _that_ was what she focused on, "I suppose. Thank you for saying so, Miss Willow."

"Yeah yeah," she rolled her eyes at him with a small smile on her face.

Wilson frowned but shrugged it off. Clearing his throat, he said, "Do you have a camp out here, like a place you have stayed at?"

Willow shook her head, "No."

"I do," he said awkwardly, "want to...er, I could take you if...uh, you want to."

Laughing at him, Willow nodded, "Yes, please."

"Oh, okay," he said, "follow me."

Gesturing for her to follow him, Wilson let out a soft sigh as he led her back to his sad excuse for a camp. He couldn't help but notice, while they walked, the little spring to her step as she walked. Her eyes were exploring everything and anything that they passed. Her curls danced around her shoulders, barely restricted by the two low pigtails she had them pulled into. She walked with a confidence that Wilson couldn't help but admire. His posture was bad and his feet tended to drag at times. Willow's back was arched and she was far too light on her feet to have them drag on the ground.

_Goodness,_ he thought to himself as he looked away from her, _I really need to get a life…analyzing this woman as if she were nothing but a science project._

Soon the two made their way to Wilson's camp. By then, the sun was laying down on the horizon and the dim lighting was becoming quite noticeable. When they got there Willow looked around the area while Wilson was trying to get a fire going. He had a small pile of wood sitting in the pit but he was obviously not used to getting a fire started at all. He was sitting on the ground, looking at the pit frustration.

"Wilson," Willow looked over at him and cracked an amused grin, "Stop for a minute, you're killing me."

He looked up at her in confusion.

Ignoring the look on his face, Willow moved next to him and sat down on her knees. Pulling out her lighter from her pocket, Willow put it up to the pile of wood and watched as the pit was set aflame. She then grinned smugly at Wilson.

"You could do that the whole time and said nothing?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You didn't ask me," she shrugged, putting her lighter away.

"Well, thank you anyways," Wilson muttered grumpily.

She giggled, getting up and stretching out her arms, "Sure thing, Wilson."

He frowned but then pulled out the food that he had to examine it all so he could split it evenly between the two of them. After a moment of silence, he asked her, "Do you happen to have any food, Miss Willow?"

Nodding, Willow set down a couple of carrots and a small number of berries with what he had. "It's not much but it's all I have…" she told him with a shy shrug.

"Thank you," he said plainly, looking at the pile of food laying out in front of him.

He then got to cooking the food, furrowing his brows as he did so.

"Wow…" Willow frowned at his cooking, "And you've been here for three days while somehow managing to burn yourself."

"Says you," Wilson huffed, "You would have gotten burned by that tree if it was not for me."

"Not true," she told him while extending out her hand at him.

"What…?" Wilson asked, confused over the gesture.

"Give me the food before hurt yourself."

"But I-"

"Just do it," she said, rolling her eyes.

Wilson sighed, giving in and handing the food over to her. Willow smiled triumphantly as she grabbed them, turning towards the fire and expertly started to cook them.

"How did you-"

"Girl Scouts," she told him simply, "I loved it when I was younger. Who knew the shit that they taught me there might actually be useful…I certainly did not."

Wilson cracked a little smile, "You were in girl scouts? I was in boy scouts...was not my cup of tea at all. I belong inside, I am somehow a better benefit to society there."

"So you must be really reclusive," she said with a grin, not looking up at him.

"W-Well…" he said, biting down onto his bottom lip, "I suppose I cannot deny that…"

"It's okay," she laughed, "I mean no offense. Just an observation…"

"Oh...is that something you normally are able to recognize?" he asked.

"Not unless they make it really obvious," she said, handing him his cooked share of food.

"Oh," he mumbled, the perplexed look on his face was definitely an indication that he was over thinking what she had said way too much.

"Wilson," her smile faded just a small bit. Willow looked up at him, taking a moment to stop cooking, "please don't think it's a bad thing…"

"Excuse me Miss Willow but how could it possibly not be a bad thing?" he questioned.

"Well...if anything, it's kind of refreshing, you know?" she shrugged, "I may not to be able to _'read you like an open book'_ per se but you simply don't seem like someone who normally talks or socializes with others. Before Maxwell, I hadn't really talked with anyone for a while either."

_"You?"_ his eyes widened, "But...you seem so good at making conversation! Are you pulling my leg?"

"Not at all!" she laughed, "I haven't spoken with anyone for a while because I recently moved and I don't really know anyone that I live around right now, that's all."

"Oh, alright," he rolled his eyes, "So I need to work on some social skills, big deal."

"It is," Willow nodded, going back to her cooking, "You would probably go insane without me here with you and vise versa. It's a simple fact of life that people need to be around other people. Now, being introverted and preferring to be alone is totally fine."

"Then what is your point?"

"My point is," she sighed, "Before three days ago, you most likely always had the _option_ to see others. But when you're stranded and you physically cannot talk to someone for a certain amount of time, you start to lose your grip on humanity."

Wilson blinked a few times, looking at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Wow...I think...I think I really underestimated you, Miss Willow," he admitted, "You are a lot wiser than you seem."

"Everyone always underestimates me," she frowned before quickly replaced it with a bright grin, "But everyone always learns that I am a force of kickass wit and power!"

Wilson snorted and shook his head, "Well, excuse me for stroking your ego…"

"Hush you," she rolled her eyes, examining her freshly cooked food as she held it closer to her and away from the fire. Wilson looked down at his own food that she had cooked for him, tilting his head to the side. The last time someone had cooked for him, it was when he was living at his parents' house...

"Are you going to eat or just stare at the food?" Willow asked with a mouthful of carrot, pulling Wilson back into reality and out of his own head.

"Huh?" he asked stupidly before nodding, "Uh, yes. I will eat it."

Grabbing a little mouthful of the cooked berries, Wilson popped them into his mouth. He noticed Willow glancing him nervously as he tasted the food out of the corner of his eye. The warmth and overwhelmingly juiciness of the berries washed over Wilson's senses. He was a god awful cook, burning almost everything that he attempted to make. Willow was a much better cook and he felt himself never being so thankful of such a little amount of food in his entire life.

"This is amazing...honestly, it is wonderful, Miss Willow," he told her before eating more.

Willow beamed with pride, "Thank you for thinking so!"

A genuine smile tugged at the edges of Wilson's lips, glad that she felt proud of herself. He felt that she deserved to be a little cocky for once. However, instead of going on about how amazing she was, Willow simply continued to eat with a sweet grin plastered across her pale face.

After the two were finishing up with their food, Wilson stretched out his arms and looked at the horizon. The sun was just about set for the day until the next morning. Glancing over at a satisfied Willow, he spoke up, "Want to take turns sleeping? One of us will keep the fire going while the other gets some sleep. I do not at all trust the nighttime here…It is weird."

"I totally agree," she nodded with a shiver, "My very first night here I didn't have a fire going. It got extremely dark and even cold out...then something clawed at me. I had my lighter and whatever it was left me alone once I had it out but I had to hold it close to me all night long."

Wilson nodded, wondering what could have hurt her like that. He decided to leave that question for later. He continued, "Alright. You can get some rest, okay? I have got something I wish to work on anyways…"

"Okay, Mr. Science Nerd," she smiled, walking over towards the large tree's stem and rested her back against it after sitting back down onto the hard and cool ground.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, "Anyways, I will wake you up when it is your turn to get up."

"Sounds good," she nodded, "Goodnight…"

"Pleasant dreams, Miss Willow."

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**Hey everyone! I really hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of my story. I do not know when the next one will be out but I try to write and edit it as soon as I possibly can.**

**Thanks for reading~**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


	2. Drastic Differences

**Words: 5,106**

**Warnings: Swearing**

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The next morning was a cool one, a soft but chilly breeze was gracefully dancing through the air. It was a crisp wind, almost bitter with a promise of colder days ahead in the nearing future. Wilson didn't pay much attention to it, for he still had this concept in the back of his mind that he was going to be back at home in a short amount of time. This was a futile and desperate hope that he chose to cling to for as long as he possibly could. He didn't know how else he was supposed to reason out the unique situation he was in. It was undoubtedly out of his area of expertise, all this crazy and shadow nonsense. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this had a lot to do with science that he simply cannot comprehend (Basically his term for magic). What else could explain how he even got there in the first place other than the fact that he may not be able to understand it any time soon.

Wilson was able to recognize that both him and Willow got there due to that machine Maxwell had them both build. Especially that as soon as they both had turned the machine on, the pair were taken to this unnatural destination; it was one of the few things in this mess that made sense to him. Where they were exactly was still a mystery to the scientist. It was definitely Earth due to the similarities of the terrain as well as the cycles of the sun and the moon. But at the same time, it wasn't like Earth in a lot of other ways. Wilson didn't know how to exactly put it, but something about this place was just so wrong.

He pondered this while he worked throughout the night. Not long after Willow had presumably fallen asleep, Wilson decided to just let her rest and stay up the whole night; it wasn't the first time he'd done so. Instead of sleeping, he worked at his desk most of the night. He was designing a simple yet still necessary machine to help him with the creation of things that may be important in the future. As much as he was convinced he was going to get out, Wilson wanted to be on the safe side and plan ahead. It was strange how quickly the design of the machine came to him, as most of his inventions took weeks to perfect, design wise. But he just knew what to do and he did not question it. Looking over his final design that morning, Wilson concluded that he simply needed more logs to be able to build it. That wasn't that big of a deal, he did have an ax after all. And even if Willow did not, he had the resources to make her one. They needed logs to fuel the fire pit for the next night anyway.

While writing his last decision for the machine in his little journal, he heard some light rustling of grass only a few meters away from him. Wilson turned his head around and saw a tired looking Willow sitting up against the tree at the center of the camp, rubbing her eyes lazily before opening them. They soon landed on Wilson's, meeting his gaze for a beat. Silence took over both of them for another moment until Willow frowned and mumbled, "You didn't wake me up so we could take turns on the lookout."

"My apologies, Miss Willow," Wilson said, shocked that she seemed so upset over getting more sleep, "However, I did not require the rest last night so I let you continue to sleep. You looked like you needed it and I do not mind."

"Well, it wasn't what we agreed on," she argued, crossing her arms.

"I...suppose it is not."

"Wilson," Willow said sternly, suddenly standing up onto her feet, "I honestly do appreciate you being so selfless and letting me rest, but you really look like you could use some shut eye…"

While he knew that he definitely had some noticeable bags resting underneath his dark eyes, he didn't focus on that particular aspect of what she said. _She thinks I am... selfless…?_ Wilson thought to himself,_ I would say that I let her sleep in due to my own desire to keep working, not because I wanted to make sure she got enough rest. Though, I guess I did think of her getting some sleep was a good thing but that was not my whole intention. She really does think I was that concerned about it…_ he sighed, feeling somewhat guilty for his reasoning but tried his best to ignore it. Unfortunately, it did not work.

"Okay… I will keep my promise next time," he told her carefully.

Willow smiled kindly, "Good! It just does us no good if one of us is too exhausted to do anything. We might as well not have the other around if it's going to be that way."

"Noted," he nodded, once again he was admittedly impressed by the young woman's way of reasoning and thinking, "I will… try to remember that, Miss Willow. I swear by it."

She laughed softly, walking towards him and away from the center tree, "You know, you really don't have to call me that. Willow is just fine."

"I think Miss Willow is a more respectable and gentlemanly way of addressing you," he stated.

"Whatever floats your boat," she shrugged, "I'm not bothered by it much. I was just letting you know that you don't have to if you don't want to, that's all. I may not know you very well but I trust you enough where you don't have to call me something so formal."

"Thank you for saying that but I simply find Miss Willow to be much more appropriate," he said.

"You're not going to make me call you Mr. Higgsbury, are you?"

"Not unless you do not wish to do so."

She nodded with a little grin on her face, "Okay, thank you. I probably never will."

"Of course," Wilson replied, getting up from his desk and clearing his throat, "Anyways, I have a plan for today and I was hoping on explaining it to you once you were awake if you were alright with that."

"Shoot away."

"Well…" he took in a deep breath, "Last night, I finished coming up with a design for a machine… a science machine, I suppose you could call it. The device will help us to make things, a pretty simple but important function. I have all that will be required for building it, except that I need some more logs. We should go and collect some today, we need them for the fire pit tonight anyways. Plus, I want to make some traps too but that can wait until we are done with gathering logs."

"Traps…?" Willow tilted her head to the side in curiosity, "To catch what, exactly?"

"Good question, Miss Willow," Wilson smiled, "We will not be able to survive here by just eating carrots and berries. You and I will make a few traps that we will place on top of holes that I have seen rabbits live in to catch, cook, and eat them."

"You're pretty bossy, you know that?" Willow said suddenly.

Wilson's eyes widened in surprise, not at all expecting her to say something that. He was very much used to making his own decisions, so he wasn't used to having others in the mix whatsoever. Had he been too decisive for her liking? He did toss around the word _'we'_ a lot… but perhaps he made a mistake anyways.

"O-Oh really…? I am terribly sorry M-Miss...Miss Willow…" he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, his face turned slightly pink out of the embarrassment.

Willow laughed, "It's fine, Wilson! I was only teasing you."

"You were?" he asked, feeling even more like a fool for not noticing that.

"Yeah," she nodded, "And by the way, I think it's a great plan. I don't know much about how the whole science machine thing will work out but I'm not the scientist here."

"Oh," he shrugged, "I suppose… thank you for trusting me with making the science machine, especially since the last thing I made ended me up here."

"Whatever helps us to adapt out here," she said in a positive attitude, "Besides, I haven't even heard Maxwell's stupid voice ever since I got here."

"That is a... very upbeat way of seeing the situation," Wilson rubbed his chin with slight interest, "Well, do you have an ax?"

Willow shook her head sheepishly, "I'm afraid not."

"It is okay, I will just make you one real quick," Wilson shrugged, crutching down to the ground to make it easier and then took out a few supplies from his pocket. Not even five minutes later, he was holding a freshly made ax for her. "They are very simple to make," he said, handing it to her.

"I can see that…" she said while taking the ax in awe, "Anything else that I may need?"

"No, you should be good for now," Wilson answered before standing up straight and gesturing for her to follow him, "I know a good spot not too far from here to go chop down some trees. We may even find some berries along the way as well."

"Sounds good," she grinned, "Go ahead and lead the way, Wilson."

Staying close behind him, Willow followed Wilson to wherever he'd picked to chop down a couple of trees. The scientist found himself being thankful for the extra help; they could accomplish so much more now than when they were off on their own. Willow felt herself feeling the same way, only she was a bit more curious about who her new survival companion was exactly. He was an awkward, intelligent, gentleman that apparently didn't get enough sleep (Though, she guessed that when first meeting him. The bags he had underneath his eyes were such an obvious indicator to even the most oblivious people out there). Other than that, she only knew that he didn't spend a lot of time with any other people. He was a complete mystery to her so she made sure she would stay the same to him until it changed. Besides, he was a scientist and Willow didn't need him to be bugging her about her special condition like nothing but another science project anyways…

A few minutes pass and Wilson suddenly stops walking, causing Willow to nearly run right into him. He turned around to face her and said, "Alright, let us get to work." Willow rubbed her cheek and nodded, taking out her ax. The two immediately got to work, chopping away at the trees nearby. It was quick but still tiring work, causing Wilson to become even more thankful for Willow's presence.

They gathered the wood in silence, not really feeling the need to speak. There was an underlying awkwardness surrounding them that the two really didn't know how to overcome. Two completely different strangers working together in a strange, isolated place had the potential to be a dangerous thing (Especially since they were two male and female people, in Wilson's opinion). But it's not as though they weren't sure of if they were good people or not, Willow and Wilson simply didn't know what to think of each other quite yet.

Wilson had formed a deep respect for Willow's admirable confidence and wit, as well as her charming positivity. Though he really tried his best, he could really use that uplifting attitude at certain times and could especially use it now. But at the same time, he thought of her as somewhat careless, remembering how close she had stood to the burning tree just the day before. He also concluded that she was probably way more social than his liking. She was usually fairly quiet, but her sarcasm and bubbly attitude made him believe she was someone who genuinely liked being with others more than not. He didn't think it was exactly a _bad_ thing about her, just something that may have the potential to irritate him in the future. On the other hand, he really appreciated her superior cooking skills.

Meanwhile, Willow wished that Wilson would stop acting and talking so formal. She found it kind of entertaining at times but wished he was more laid back. She did like him giving her some space for sure, but she found it difficult to make conversation with someone who made her feel stupid by just the way he spoke; though, she knew it wasn't an intention of his and that he was just trying to be a gentleman. Willow found his awkward side a little refreshing and almost a little endearing, knowing that a man so smart could also be that bad at picking up social cues. Though, she was glad she was able to get stuck with someone with a sharp mind rather than a complete airhead.

Soon, the two had gathered more than enough wood and Wilson came to the conclusion that he was satisfied with what they had collected. He cut down one last tree and Willow stopped chopping, waiting for him somewhat impatiently.

"You said we were making traps now, correct?" Willow asked, making sure she understood what they were doing next.

"Yes, we are," Wilson nodded after finishing up with the tree, wiping some sweat off his pale forehead, "There is a very dry area that is on the other side of our camp. It is where we should make and set them up if memory serves correctly."

"Alright…" Willow muttered, deciding to reluctantly trust Wilson's memory of where it was.

"Follow me, Miss Willow," Wilson began walking and she did was she was told to do.

The walk wasn't too bad but it took a little while longer than what Wilson had expected. By the time they were reaching the fairly empty destination, it was already the afternoon. _I suppose we got a little carried away with collecting the logs, _Willow thought to herself as the grass around them started turning into more of a light yellow color rather than green.

"I do not get it here…" Wilson mumbled, frowning at the sudden shift of the terrain.

"I don't think we have to necessarily understand it until we learn to deal with it," Willow argued, stopping to stretch out her arms. He shrugged, still not able to help his own curiosity.

Little, furry bunnies hopped around the area but stayed clear away from the pair. They sniffed and rolled around in the dry grass, they were probably the most innocent looking things that Wilson had seen here. Their fur looked as soft as it probably felt and they had little antlers that most likely couldn't do more than give a human a couple of bruises.

"Here," Wilson handed Willow some supplies, "Make a couple of traps out of these, please."

She nodded and immediately got to work. Willow was surprised at how the information to make something like that just came to her; she never learned how to make a trap in Girl Scouts. Regardless of how she knew, Willow just did it. Wilson did the same, more concerned on how he knew how to make one as well. It was just like his axes and pickaxes etc. He figured Willow would have a much better chance making something like that than him, but they appeared to be on the same level of skill.

The two made four traps in all, which they were quite satisfied with (For the time being, that is). They started setting them up and Willow waited as Wilson set up his second one. She was a little faster than him, due to his perfectionism.

While she waited for him to finish, Willow started noticing the sound of very heavy footsteps in the distance. She instinctively reached for her lighter in her pocket when hearing the sound but glanced at Wilson, hesitantly removing her hand from the pocket of her skirt.

"Umm, Wilson? I know I may just be-"

**_NGGHHAAA!_**

She was cut off by the sound of an animal grunting loudly and Wilson nearly dropped his trap in surprise. Willow's head whirled around to look at whatever made the sound. Her eyes widened as she saw a large, buffalo-like creature slowly walking around in the field. It had sharp, uneven horns descending from its clumsy skull and a thick coat of fur. The young woman's face twisted into a look of disgust at it, she could tell that it was nothing but a smelly beast.

"My goodness…" Wilson also saw it, his eyes widened in shock and slight excitement, "We must get closer to it."

"What?" Willow gasped, "I am _not_ going near that thing!"

"It will be fine, Miss Willow. We will be cautious about it," Wilson urged her towards it.

She let out a deep sigh,_ "Fine…"_

Wilson got out his ax to 'protect' them from the beast. Willow didn't hesitate to grab her lighter this time and flicked it on; Wilson eyed the trinket curiously. _An odd thing to bring to a fight, he thought to himself before adding, To bring to a place like this in general._

Willow tried to ignore his glance but it was still obvious she took notice of it. Her gaze turned hard and Defensive, turning her attention to him, "Focus on the beefalo, not me."

_So much for ignoring it... _Willow thought.

Wilson smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck, "W-Well, I did not mean to….excuse me but did you just call it a _beefalo?"_

"Yes, that's what I'm naming the strange beast," she huffed defensively.

Wilson looked at the ground, sensing that he'd done something wrong, "I… I am sorry for staring. I was just spacing out, I promise you that."

"Hmm… just please try not to let it happen again," she sighed, knowing that he was lying. Willow just continued to walk towards the beefalo and gave Wilson a look that said, _"just drop it."_

"It will not, my apologies Miss Willow," he sighed, mentally kicking himself for being so socially awkward.

"Accepted," she said plainly, not really sounding like she truly forgave him for whatever he had done. However, her hard glare was now directed towards the beefalo (Which Wilson considered somewhat of a win) and the way her body tensed forwards showed her mind was already moved on from the awkward exchange.

Wilson sighed, wishing his apology got through to her more but he chose to let it go for now; she was certainly done with talking about it. Walking carefully after her, the scientist didn't let his eyes widen in awe as he looked at the huge beast. It truly was a sight to behold, despite the creature being more familiar to something they could find normally. _At least it is a lot less stupid and brutish looking than the pigs that live here, _Wilson shuddered while shaking his head.

The beefalo wasn't at all hostile towards them or anything else, being completely calm and tame. It simply stomped around, eating grass and barely giving Willow or Wilson a passing glance. The scientist was very relieved about this. However, Willow looked even more disgusted now that they were closer to the thing. It's smell...absolutely _unbearable. _Wilson shrugged it off, expecting it completely and not letting it bother him. Willow had been expecting it but was still grossed out about it.

"It is… truly _extraordinary," _Wilson's eyes widened, "It is unlike anything I have ever heard or seen in my life!"

"Oh yes," Willow frowned, "This big, smelly beast is truly _fascinating_ indeed, Wilson."

He opened his mouth to comment on her sore attitude but was stopped by a low grunting sound that came from the beefalo. He didn't understand what it was until Willow screamed, _"Ewww! It's disgusting, oh my god!" _She then ran and hid behind Wilson, covering her mouth and nose.

Sitting in a big pile underneath the beefalo was a large amount of, to put it simply, shit. Wilson merely shook his head, looking behind him to glance at Willow in disappointment.

"Miss Willow, it is just...it is not that gross. It is simply a natural part of a living thing."

"Yeah it is natural but then when a girl mentions her period guys flip out," she snapped, putting her hands on her hips.

Wilson hesitated, caught between a rock and a hard place. His face slowly got hot and sweaty, trying not to think about the monthly cycle that women have to go through, "That is different…that is…I...it is merely waste, not…_that."_

During Wilson's sad attempt to explain himself, a sly and amused smile found its way onto Willow's face. It wasn't until after he was done talking when he noticed.

"Why are you looking at me like that…?"

She giggled before answering, "You're so freaking awkward! God… men are so _weak._ It's just blood coming out of our va-"

_"That is enough!" _Wilson cut her off, his face was as red as a tomato, "Anyways…if anything, this beefalo waste is going to be a good thing."

"How come?" Willow asked, her smile was replaced with a testy look as she crossed her arms.

"If there is waste such as this lying around because we must assume there is more beefalo out there, we can make a little farm for growing food."

"Oh…" she nodded, looking at the pile of shit before quickly looking away from it.

"Now we just need a place to store it after we collect some…" Wilson said quietly, his mind already racing.

"We could use one of our traps to scoop up the shit like a bucket but we'd lose one of our traps…" she suggested.

"Good idea," he nodded, "Then when we go back to the camp, I will finish my machine and then figure out where to store the _manure."_ Wilson put emphasis on the word to let her know he didn't really care for her vulgarity.

She didn't pay any mind to it, "Sounds like a plan, smarty pants."

"Do not call me that, please," he frowned.

"Whatever you say, _smarty pants..."_ she laughed, skipping over to one of their traps. Wilson sighed and rubbed his forehead, waiting for her to come back with the trap. He wasn't one to yell at others, especially at a lady (Call it sexist if you want, Wilson considered it gentlemanly not to do so).

Willow came back with one of them, turned upside down like some crude, sad excuse for a bucket. She gestured for him to take it, "Please don't expect me to gather it."

He grabbed it and Sighed, cursing himself for wearing a white shirt underneath his red vest, "I figured you would not be jumping to the opportunity…"

Wilson walked over to the manure and did his best to scoop all of it up. It was a warm, almost liquid-like substance and smelled just as bad as you could imagine. Willow had to look away to keep herself from getting sick.

"There…done," he sighed, holding the trap away from himself, "May we please get back to the camp before I lose my appetite?"

"Sure thing, smarty pants," she nodded with very little humor to her voice despite her small grin. Willow was holding her nose shut to block out the smell.

The young woman walked a considerable distance from Wilson while they made their way back to camp, still holding her nose in disgust. He thought it was a little silly of her, almost childish, to do so. But he gave her the benefit of the doubt, figuring that she must be squeamish. Why else would she freak out so much?

Once they were at the base, Wilson immediately put the trap down by the fire pit and retreated towards his mini workstation. Willow rolled her eyes at him, looking down at the manure filled trap in disgust.

The night had been a long but still somewhat of an eventful one. Wilson finished his _'science machine'_ (Willow scoffed at the unimaginative name; Wilson thought it was practical) very quickly. It was a strange and useful contraption. As soon as it was made, Wilson and Willow used it to make themselves backpacks to carry more stuff.

During dinner, he got an idea of how to store the manure for the time being. After he was finished with his food, Wilson gathered some of the wood they had and made three boards out of them using the machine. Using the boards, he made a little chest out of them. "There is a fair amount of space available in the chest, Miss Willow. We are able to put more than just manure in there if we must," Wilson had told her.

For once, Wilson found himself desiring to actually sleep other than forcing himself to do it like he normally would. As much as he understood that the human body needs a good amount of rest, Wilson tended to test the boundaries of his own limits; he simply considered sleeping a waste of valuable time, as important as it was. He felt a surge of pride after making the science machine (As well as the backpacks and chest) since he hadn't even been there for very long.

By dusk, Willow had thankfully gotten over the whole beefalo thing and was back to her regular self. Wilson took a mental note of the way she bounced lightly on her feet and how she whistled a tune when she was in a good mood; he always good at noticing the little things when he chose to be. He wasn't sure exactly why he examined her so closely. Perhaps it was nervousness or simply the fact that he hadn't socialized with someone in an extended period of time. Whatever the reason, Willow didn't pay any attention to it as she was off in her own little world most of the time. For someone who seemed to enjoy a decent conversation, she was surprisingly reserved and kept her secrets. Wilson didn't mind, he was practically the same way so he assumed it would be unfair to ask about her personal life and keep his from her.

After they were through with dinner, the sun was still setting and the world around them was still light enough to go out without a light source in hand. Though, it was dark enough that plants in the distance couldn't be made out completely.

Leaning up against the tree at the center of the camp, Willow placed her hands behind her head and dully looked up at the sky. The bright reflection of the fire illuminated her eyes. She spoke up, the first thing that was said in about three hours, "I'll stay up first and feed the fire while you get some shut-eye. You deserve the break."

Wilson was at his work desk, jotting things down in his journal. His head perked up at the sound of her voice and he turned it to glance at her, "No, that would be ungentlemanly to make you stay up for me first. I will be fine."

"But you're probably just going to stay up all night and let me sleep again!" she complained while sitting up.

He hesitated to reply, "I… would not do that again."

"Mhm," she rolled her eyes, "You keep telling yourself that, Wilson. But I ain't going to be buying it, one bit. I'll wake you up, it'll be fine."

"But-"

"No buts!" Willow said dismissively, making up her mind and keeping her decision.

Sighing at the young woman's unnecessary persistence, Wilson shrugged and sat down by the campfire, stretching out his arms and legs while yawning softly.

"You sure you want to be on the lookout first tonight...?" he asked her weakly.

"I'm certain about it, thank you very much," Willow nodded her honesty.

Nodding, Wilson shifted his position on the ground to be more comfortable before laying down on the bare ground. His hair bounced up into the air and was stubbornly tangled up in the grass. He paid no mind to it, obviously being used to his hair's ridiculousness. Willow raised an eyebrow at it but said nothing; she had unruly hair as well, barely restrained by her two pigtails.

Not five minutes went by before a soft rustling noise could be heard from the distance. Both of their heads perked up at the peculiar noise, not really decipherable or distinctive until the sound started to grow closer to them.

"Footsteps…" Willow whispered in alarm, getting out her lighter and wearing a threatening expression as she faced the direction where the noise seemed to be coming from.

Wilson got up from the ground as quietly as he could, grabbing his ax and standing next to Willow in a defensive stance. He nodded his agreement, fingers gripping the wooden handle of the ax tight.

The sound grew louder as whatever was making it got closer. A small figure was now noticeable from the shadows but that didn't settle Wilson or Willow's cation towards the figure. There was no being sure in this unpredictable place until it was proven to be just. The two's joints tensed when the figure finally stepped into the light of the campfire. Wilson dropped his ax in shock and Willow gasped, slowly lowering a lighter.

It was a little girl, no older than twelve.

"Hello," she called calmly in a light voice, "I…I think I may be lost."

"Hey… uh," Wilson started awkwardly before Willow cut in, "Hello, my name is Willow and this is Wilson. We're lost too...what's your name, dear?"

Her big eyes glanced between the two cautiously before they landed back on Willow and she answered, "Wendy… my name is Wendy."

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! I plan to write another very soon after taking a small break. School is ending in about a week, my older brother is graduating, and I have a camp for marching band the first week of summer vacation. I am going to try and write as much as I can during this time, however, finals for school and my family has to come first. **

**Feel free to give me tips or ideas for the next chapter! I would love to know what your suggestions would be.**

**Review goal: 5**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


	3. The Feast for Pretty Willow

**Words: 5,178**

**Warnings: Swearing**

* * *

_Disgusted._

That was probably the best word to describe how Wilson felt. His stomach was churning and his head was lightheaded, the shocked look that was on his face was said it all. The word was a beautifully horrid one and the scientist knew of nothing else in his large vocabulary that could be more attractive than that one at that moment. Sure, if he gave it more thought he would be able to come up with something better but he just didn't have the desire. He couldn't remember the last time he was this furious with anything or especially anyone. Frustrated was a term he chose to use to describe how he felt more often than anger, as it was something that he thought was a little better suited to his gentlemanly nature. But now, there was no other way for him to express his burning hatred for the man named Maxwell. Never had he wanted to hit someone so much in his entire life.

"I simply cannot believe that monstrous, disgusting, slimy, pathetic, waste of a human," he seethed, pacing around the fire pit impatiently while Willow cooked something for there new companion. Wendy was sitting on a little log next to the neat pile of stones, her arms wrapped around herself as she looked up at Wilson plainly. Wilson continued on, "Putting me into this godforsaken place in one thing, a lady such as Miss Willow is another," Willow rolled her eyes at that, "But bringing a _little girl no older than twelve years old_ into such a dangerous and twisted hell without a single thought about what he is doing to her is absolutely unacceptable! My goodness...when I get my hands on that _rat-"_

"Wilson," Willow sighed in an annoyed tone, cutting him off, "For someone so calm and level headed, you really need to take a chill pill. Really, just pull yourself together. Go write in that diary or something."

"No, I will not _'take a chill pill'_! And it is not a diary, it is a journal for my work!" he argued, mentally kicking himself for (Very mildly, mind you) yelling at her, "This is all just so… so… immorally and utterly _wrong,_ in so many ways. How could someone even consider doing this to a child!?"

"Ignoring the fact that children get abused and killed all the time by people as sick as Maxwell, it _happened. _Now we must deal with it as best we can," Willow finished cooking some berries and handed them to Wendy. The girl started to silently eat them and Willow put the rest of the food away in her backpack that was sitting next to Wilson's next to the log that Wendy was sitting on. She stood up completely and crossed her arms, looking over at Wilson. "I hate him just as much as you do," she continued, "But you need to get ahold of yourself for Wendy's, as well as the both of us's, sake. We are powerless against Maxwell right now… there's really no point in getting at the moment."

"But I _am_ upset!" he whined, stopping his pacing to turn towards her.

"That wasn't very gentlemanly, Wilson."

"You know what!? For once, I honestly could not care less!" he snapped, the lie came out alarmingly naturally to him, "Goodness… look around, Miss Willow! We are doomed and now we are going to have to bring a child down with us because of that man!"

"Please, try to be a tiny bit more positive, Wilson! You created a science machine earlier today that will undoubtedly be useful for us!"

"But will it be _enough?"_

Willow and Wilson glared at one another. A thick blanket of silence was laid down onto the group and gave the area an overwhelming sense of bitterness. Deep down, Wilson knew he did not want to fight. However, he wasn't thinking straight and was going off of his emotions instead of his brain. He couldn't help it, not now that there was a freaking child involved with all of this. Willow, on the other hand, just wanted to slap some sense into him. Whatever got him to finally cool off, she was down with. It had been almost a whole hour since Wendy showed up.

"You two sure argue a lot," Wendy spoke up softly and effectively tore the blanket off the camp, "It really must be a thing that couple's do quite often..."

The two's eyes darted towards her, no longer filled with frustration. They blinked a couple of times, neither of them knowing how to respond to such a comment. Especially after an argument.

"Wendy... did... did you just call us... a _couple?"_ Willow's eyes widened, her cheeks burned red from embarrassment.

"Excuse me but… umm… do you really think that, Miss Wendy…?" Wilson started while clearing his throat rather awkwardly.

"We're not… not together like that," Willow helped him out, laughing softly with no real humor behind her voice.

Wendy asked, "Why not? You two certainly _look _like you would be together in such a way..."

Wilson immediately stiffened like a deer in headlights at Wendy's words, awkwardly mumbling some nonsense to himself that no one else could hear.

"Because Wendy… you see... er, Wilson and I simply aren't. We're survival partners, complete strangers that were thrown into this place just like you. I promise that there really is nothing more to it than that," Willow explained.

"Yes, Miss Willow is correct," Wilson nodded, looking relieved, "I could _never _even think about-"

Wilson stopped speaking when Willow threw an angry and almost hurt expression at him. It was a testing look as if to say _'you could never what, exactly?' _He gulped, that didn't at all sound the way he thought it would before talking, feeling guilty.

"I-I mean…" Wilson weakly attempted to explain himself to the both of them, "Miss Willow is a very lovely lady and all but… I-I... she..."

"What? You're married to your job as a scientist?" Willow sneered mockingly, "That's a pretty weak excuse, Wilson. Just spit it out. Say you couldn't ever like a slob like me or something."

"Well… to be honest, I kind of am married to my job, in a way," he shook his head, "And I will not call you a slob... and I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, please understand that was not my intentions, Miss Willow."

"You're so freaking ridiculous, you know that...?" she sighed, shaking her head and turning the other way. Willow crossed her arms, pouting in a childish manner.

The man stared at her for a moment, a blank expression on his pale face. Figuring he had done all that he could to apologize, he decided to just leave her be for a while so Willow could cool off (Ironic how the role of needing to do so changed just like that). He gave Wendy one last glance before quietly making his way over to his work desk. Flipping his journal open, he began writing in it while resting his cheek on the palm of his right hand. He looked down at the journal with a distant, disinterested gleam to his eyes that hinted his mind was elsewhere.

"I didn't mean to cause a stir between you guys," Wendy said to Willow in a quiet yet completely calm voice once Wilson walked away, "It just reminded me of something, that's all… I suppose it was wrong of me to make such a personal connection without knowing you two well enough to do so without making it offensive. I won't do it again... sorry."

Willow turned towards Wendy, dumbfounded by her maturity, "Oh… that's really sweet of you to say, Wendy. It's alright, you didn't know. I guess Wilson and I are sensitive, especially since we're not in the best of moods anyways..."

Wendy shrugged, taking in a deep sigh. The young child glanced down at the small flames of the fire with an unamused look in her eyes. Willow frowned but said nothing more to her. _It must've been a long day for the poor girl,_ she figured as she turned away from her, _Whether she is mature or not, Wilson was sort of right. This really is a whole lot to dump onto just a kid._

She sighed and walked over to Wilson's desk where he was still writing down in his journal. _He's writing a lot slower than he normally does,_ she noted mentally, trying not to think about why in the world she would pay any attention to something like that. She assumed it was just her tendency to take notice and appreciate the little things. Sighing, Willow tapped him lightly on the shoulder to pull his attention towards her and away from the book.

The man stopped his writing and moved his head to look up at her, "Yes, Miss Willow? Do you happen to need something from me?"

"Who's taking the first shift of keeping the fire going tonight?" she asked awkwardly, "I feel it is unfair to make Wendy do it, she's too young to stay up for too long. She needs the rest."

"Agreed," he nodded, setting his pencil down on the crooked wood, "I will stay up first, consider it as my way of apologizing... again."

"Apologizing for what?"

"Earlier…" he reminded her shyly.

Willow shrugged, "It's whatever, Wilson; already forgotten. It was not that big of a deal but if your bent on doing it first, I guess I accept your _unnecessary_ apology."

He smiled, "Thank you, Miss Willow. You should go get some rest and I will wake you later, alright?"

"I will go do that," she said with a yawn and added, "And I'm sorry too, as well as Wendy. I suppose we're all just on edge tonight, tomorrow will be better."

He nodded, "Apology accepted, Miss Willow. Goodnight..."

"Night..." Willow replied lazily, turning her back on him. As she walked, her long, curled pigtails bounced around her shoulders almost unnaturally, kind of like black flames in a way.

* * *

"Wilson…!" a voice hissed, "Wilson you big dope, get up!"

The scientist was sitting against the tree while slouching heavily. His mouth hung wide open and soft snores managed to escape him. A finger poked at his cheek and he took in a deep breath before yawning. He sat up straight, stretching out his arms and opening up his dark eyes. "Huh…?" he grunted lazily while rubbing his eyes.

"My god, Wilson," Willow shook her head, evidently she the one who was poking and speaking to him. He wasn't at all surprised by that. She continued, "You're such a heavy sleeper."

"My apologies, Miss Willow," he replied, starting to sound more like himself as he woke up more.

_For a man that really takes pride in being a gentleman, Wilson sure doesn't sleep like one at all,_ she noted, resisting the urge to smile, _It's almost endearing, honestly... almost._

"What are you smiling at?" Wilson asked (Apparently, her attempt to hide her grin didn't work out for her).

"Oh, it's nothing," she giggled.

He frowned, "Hmm… I suspect that to be untrue, Miss Willow."

"Maybe it isn't true," she shrugged, "Doesn't really matter why I smiled. Perhaps I'm just so happy to see your bubbly and sweet face this lovely morning to brighten my miserable existence."

"Now I know that is a complete lie," Wilson smiled at her humorously.

She laughed in response while reaching out and grabbing his hand, helping him stand up onto his feet. They dropped each other's hands once he was up straight. While taking the time to brush himself off, Wilson looked over towards the fire pit. The flames that were once crackling and dancing brightly were now dying out. Wendy was standing by the pit, looking down at it with one hand resting in the pocket of her pink skirt.

"What's the plan for today, chief?" Willow asked Wilson with a smile, putting her hands on her hips.

Wilson bit down onto his bottom lip, "We really need to find some more food… and I know a good place to get it. We will be guaranteed food for tonight, that is for sure."

"Thank god, where are we going?" she asked.

He sighed, "I really do not like it... I stumbled there my second day in search of a really good food source that I could utilize. It is not exactly a fun place to visit, in my opinion, but it is definitely a necessary one if we wish to be fed well tonight. I need to make a shovel, though… could you please make Wendy a backpack for her?"

Willow nodded but asked, "What do you need a shovel for?"

He answered her vaguely, "You will see eventually."

Shrugging, she left it at that. Willow was doing her best to learn how to simply trust Wilson at certain times, it seemed to work out most of the time… and besides, Wilson was as decisive and stubborn as she was. It bugged her but now she empathized more, knowing that was how she behaved at times.

A few minutes of them working passed and the two had easily finished making what they had needed to. Wilson examined his well-crafted shovel very closely and Willow handed Wendy the backpack she made for her. The little girl barely batted an eyelid at the backpack before throwing it her shoulders without putting anything inside first. Willow assumed she must not have a lot of supplies yet or anything; she found that it was an understandable thing.

"Okay… let us get this over with…" Wilson sighed, leading the other two out of the camp.

"You seem… very hesitant and almost upset about this, Wilson," Willow observed carefully, "Keep in mind, you're the one taking us in the first place."

"I just... I feel bad for admitting it but I am taking us to this place because it guarantees that we will be fed tonight. It is not like we have that luxury any other night here..." he frowned, not looking back at her as he talked, "Once we get there, you will understand why I am not overjoyed to go."

"If you say so," she shrugged before smiling mischievously, "In other words, you're taking us here because you are lazy."

He nodded sheepishly, not able to look her in the eye. Wilson then lifted his head, rubbing the back of his neck as something came to mind. "Oh," he gulped suddenly, "I forgot to mention… this is going to be an overnight thing. We will not have time to head back to the camp after we get food."

"And you didn't think to mention it before we left?" Willow sighed, not sounding angry but just a little disappointed in him.

"Sorry… I did not mean to," Wilson replied weakly and silence overcame the group once again.

They walked on without another word, it was still too awkward between them to conversate naturally (Even more so now that Wendy was involved). Wilson leads the way with Willow and Wendy walking side by side right behind him. Willow almost was ashamed at the fact that she felt the need to take care of the young girl. She figured that if she didn't, no one else would. Wilson just didn't seem like the type of person who'd be good at dealing with kids.

While walking, Wilson suddenly started on a brick path that was leading them into a dark and thick area of the woods. Wendy and Willow shared a small glance, but Wilow simply shrugged at her. Wilson was to be trusted, she assumed. Wendy did the same, figuring the same thing. Especially since Wilson looked like someone who couldn't hurt a measly little fly if he tried too.

A clearing in the woods soon came into view along with the sound of heavy feet wandering around the area. Willow was at first put off by the sounds but eventually, let it go at Wilson's lack of alarm towards it. Tall but still tiny houses were placed randomly in the clearing while fertile flowers, carrots, and berry bushes grew all around the large clearing. At the very center, where the brick path ended, was a giant and fat pig. It was wearing a poorly made crown atop of its naked head, lounging on its side. Wooden flooring was placed beneath the Pig King with black pillars that moved up and down. Nothing seemed to make them do such a thing, except for weird shadows that danced around each of the pillars.

_"Oh… my… fucking... god…"_ Willow breathed softly, her eyes widening.

Wilson glanced over at her and followed her eyes, not at all surprised to see her staring at the peculiar creatures that were walking around. They were bulky and smelly pigs walking on their little hind legs. Although they weren't nearly as large as the King, they still easily towered over the three. They grunted and watched the three dumbly as they walked past but didn't interact with them.

"Yes… I hate it here too…" Wilson muttered to Willow, who nodded in agreement.

"They're… pigs, right?" Wendy tilted her head to the side, putting one hand in her pocket.

"Yes, they are," Wilson nodded with a frown, looking grumpy, "At least, I would assume so."

"So you brought us here to steal their crops or something?" Willow whispered to Wilson.

"You do not have to be so secretive about it," he said plainly, "When I was here, they got all excited and made me a feast and let me take a small share of their food supply. The pigs said it was because I was human and that meant they still may be saved, I think. It is difficult to understand them sometimes... their grammar is not the best."

"Pigs are weird…" Willow shook her head as one of them walked over. Much like with the other pigs, this one looked at them in confusion. It squinted its eyes at Wilson before gasping obnoxiously.

**"Human Scientist!"** The pig suddenly exclaimed excitedly, hurrying over to Wilson specifically,** "You're back!"**

Wilson made a disgusted face as the pig got closer into his personal bubble, its arms were open wide. It wrapped them around Wilson, who looked like he was going to pass out from how tight the pig hugged him, lifted him up into the air and screamed, **"Welcome! Human Scientist welcome!"**

"Ugh…" Wilson rubbed his aching arms once the pig finally set him back down onto the grassy ground, "Yes… I have returned."

**"Bring friends?"**

"Yes, well… _ahem,"_ he cleared his throat as he straightened himself up again. Wilson gestured towards the other two, "This is Miss Willow and this is Miss Wendy."

The pig looked at them, much how it had examined Wilson earlier. The pig's eyes lingered on Willow a little longer (Making her uncomfortable as hell). Suddenly, the creature smiled widely and laughed in a dumb but still overjoyed manner. It ran towards Willow and didn't even hesitate before picking her up, easily throwing her over its shoulder. Wilson's jaw dropped to the ground and even Wendy looked on in surprise, her big eyes were as wide as plates.

**"Miss Willow pretty! Honor pretty! Honor pretty"** it yelled as it ran over towards the King Pig at the center, still carrying Willow.

_"Wilson!"_ she screamed at the top of her lungs, her face burning with anger and embarrassment, _"You lousy, cowardly, stupid, son of a bitch! Don't just stand there you bastard! Do something!"_

"Oh dear…!" Wilson nodded hastily, running after the pig while Wendy followed him close behind. She kept her worries to herself but the look on her face showed her growing concern.

The pig carelessly dropped Willow on the wood flooring in front of the Pig King, who looked down at her with disinterest.

**"Feast!?"** The pig asked the King.

The King glanced at her again before he smiled an even dumber grin and exclaimed loudly, **"Feast! Feast for pretty!"**

All the pigs in the area cheered and waved their hands in the air excitedly. Willow's face only turned redder and she stood back up on her feet. Wilson nervously ran up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Willow!" he said nervously, "Are you alright… goodness, this did not happen last… last time. I mean, they were very excited... but they did not call anyone pretty..."

_"What… what the actual fuck was that, Wilson!?"_ she shoved his hand off her shoulder.

"I have no clue… I guess they think you are beautiful," he said, thinking of something else but chose to not say it.

"But I'm not _'beautiful'!"_ she yelled, ears burning crimson, "I know I should probably be happy we're getting fed but goddamn! This is fucking embarrassing...!"

"Miss Willow, please mind your language around a child."

"I don't care if she swears," Wendy shrugged.

_"Stay out of this,"_ they both told her sternly, causing the young girl to frown and cross her arms testingly.

"Miss Willow…" he sighed and turned back to her, "We may leave if you wish to… I just thought of this place as a good way to get food. And it is safer, especially for Wendy. Although, it definitely is not something we can do a lot anyway..."

"No… we can stay," she huffed, "I just hate those stupid pigs touching me."

He smiled, "I hate it too."

Willow gave him a weak smile in return before looking over at the pigs again. They were running around, setting up a little area in the corner of the clearing to eat. They had already set out a very large, old, green, and dirty blanket onto the ground on the edge of the clearing.

"They are indeed… very peculiar," Wendy observed.

Willow chuckled softly, "I suppose that's… a nicer way of putting it. Definitely nicer than how I would describe them, for sure."

"It is a lot better than swearing," Wilson muttered underneath his breath and Willow rolled her eyes dismissively at him.

"I think they are interesting, in their own odd way," Wendy shrugged casually, "They might just be misunderstood. Perhaps they are wiser than us... in certain ways."

"Now I think you're just making assumptions," Willow looked over at the pigs as they worked, "They lack a real purpose other than serving their master."

"And to honor you for being pretty, apparently," Wendy said thoughtfully.

"I'm not feeling flattered about it, Wendy," she mumbled, "What they think of me matters very little to me, personally. I don't care if they think I'm pretty."

Wilson glanced at Willow with an eyebrow raised, obviously curious about something. Yet he didn't speak a word to her.

"I would take it as a compliment," the little girl shrugged casually.

"You're a different person than me," Willow laughed, running a hand through her bangs, "A better person, mind you."

Wendy giggled softly, the first time that she had made any sound that was like a laugh; Willow beamed with pride.

The two continued casually talking for a bit, while Wilson looked on at the pigs working. He wasn't necessarily _watching_ them, mostly lost in his own head and spacing out. He frowned softly, taking notice of how noisy the outside world was and how it had been a little harder to get lost in his thoughts now that there was so much going on now. He suddenly started feeling much more homesick than before.

* * *

The pigs had prepared them a bland (Willow cringed, knowing she could cook way better). In fact, Willow looked down and poked at her food for a good ten minutes before actually trying it. The pigs were rude and loud creatures that seemed to have the basics of the land somewhat figured out to a certain extent; enough to live there all on their own, at least. Wilson and Wendy were impressed by it, Willow rolled her eyes at that. _"Please,"_ she had said, "If those… _things_ can handle it out here, then we'll be just fine. They are dumb as stumps."

After the feast, the pigs made a gigantic bonfire for them (Wilson was relieved to see Willow finally cool off a little once the fire was going) and they began singing while dancing around the pit gayly. Wendy even seemed happier than normal, joining the pigs by the bonfire, trying to sing along with them. A smile formed on the little girl's face, one that was pure, innocent, and super sweet.

**"We like Child!"** the pigs danced around her, making her giggle.

Wilson watched them awkwardly while sitting down on a log next to Willow, a soft grin was plastered on his face. _Oh, the sweet innocence of someone in their youth…_ he thought to himself with a small sigh.

Willow was slouched over a little with her elbows resting on her knees. She looked up at the bonfire with a glazed look in her bright but worn eyes. The scientist glanced over at her, soaking in her tired but still very striking appearance. The shadows surrounding the light of the fire exaggerated the light bags that were resting underneath her eyes. Her skin was soft yet looked almost fragile, like a beaten up silk pillow. She carried herself with a strong sense of maturity that you could only ever gain from growing up too fast, despite her cheery and giddy attitude that she had most of the time. But now, sitting silently in front of the large fire, it was as if Wilson was looking at her for the first time; it was if the flames of the fire exposed her. He'd never met someone that was this interesting while only factoring in the mystery surrounding them.

He peered down at his own hands before speaking up softly, "I wonder what that man Maxwell must have done to that little girl to get her here… how much it probably messed her up in the head. Now look at her... she seems almost, gleeful, in a way."

"Perhaps... she was already messed up in the head before Maxwell was in the picture," Willow mumbled back to him without looking away from the bonfire, not even phased by the sudden conversation he started, "What if Maxwell took a look at her life and thought,_ 'She's seen worse,'_ and just like that, he decided to bring her here?"

Wilson opened his mouth to answer but then something stopped him from doing so. A realization, one that came from the almost bitterness in her tired but empathetic voice. _She is projecting onto Wendy…_ he thought to himself, eyes widening.

"Miss Willow..." Wilson hesitated before planting a careful hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not!" she hissed at him before rubbing her eyes, taking in a soft sigh, "I'm just… look, I was not in a good spot before I got here. I honestly don't know if it's worse here or where I was."

"Where were you…?"

"I…" she finally looked up at him, "It doesn't matter that much anymore… just know that it was hell."

"I will take your word for it," he nodded, taking his hand off her shoulder to respect her boundaries, "I suppose I was not exactly in the most… ideal of places as well."

She raised an eyebrow.

Wilson's head turned back over to the fire, looking at Wendy dancing with the pigs. _A pretty talented young lady,_ he noted. He then cleared his throat, "I was always alone, back at home. Living my life like a hermit in isolation, only going back into civilization to buy groceries, supplies, and other necessities I may have needed. I was happy all alone, to be honest. My childhood was not a fun one and it lead me to a life away from people. But as you said, it is not good to always be completely by yourself. However, as I said, I was okay with it. I suppose it was always better than the alternative."

"What was the alternative?"

"Being around people who did not understand me," he said softly but bluntly.

"So by that, you mean… everyone, don't you?" Willow asked quietly.

He nodded, "Yes…"

There was a brief pause, but then Willow spoke up, "I suppose that's something we have in common. Others tend to not like or understand me either."

"Wait, really?" his eyes widened, "How come? You seem like someone people would love to be around…"

She shrugged dismissively, "When you have a certain kind of trait or quirk that makes you totally different from everyone else, it's just a fact of life that you will be nothing but an outcast unless people learn to look past it. They never did... probably never will. Ignorance is a very seductive and contagious disease."

"Hmm… I see," he replied thoughtfully, "Whatever that trait must be, I do not think you deserve to be treated in such a way. No outstanding lady like you does, Miss Willow."

Willow's eyes widened, feeling her heart rate quicken just a little bit at his kind words, "Wilson… thank you for saying something so nice to me. I really wish that you didn't feel the need to shut yourself away from everyone."

He smiled, "My pleasure, Miss Willow. And thank you… I guess I had not met the right person yet…"

She returned the grin and the two looked back at the pigs, watching the little girl dance without an ounce of thought about how she may look to the others. It was actually quite inspiring.

"I hope she says this young forever," Willow sighed.

Wilson nodded solemnly, "I get the impression that she will not get the chance here… but I want to let her have tonight, at least."

Willow nodded and her smile widened, "Yeah... what if we had tonight too?"

"What do you mean?" Wilson asked her.

She stood up from her spot on the log, taking a quick moment to stretch before looking down at him, "We shouldn't sit here like old people looking on at a St. Louis parade."

He smiled humorously but also nervously, "Miss Willow..."

Willow extended her hand out for him to grab, "C'mon and dance with me, don't be such a party pooper. I'm sure Wendy will appreciate it as well."

He took in a deep breath before reaching out his hand and took ahold of her hand.

* * *

**Geez, that was a lot of focus on Willow and Wilson. I promise that in the next chapter, I will definitely include more Wendy. Pinky promise!**

**Review Goal: 5**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


	4. Interaction

**Words: 4,668**

**Warnings: Nothing**

* * *

When she was a couple of years younger, Wendy's father had once told her that life is nothing but a bland meal served to you at dinnertime. He said that in her life, it was up to her alone to add some flavor to what you were given. Her father explained that even though others can help as well, nothing can satisfy and give you great pride like doing it yourself. She was nearly eight, hardly able to understand what it all had meant. At the time, she had assumed that it was because he was moving out of the house later that day. Whatever the reason, she didn't think she would get it until she was much older. Although, she didn't think of it as much as she probably would have if her mother hadn't told her to ignore whatever her father said. About a year before that day, her mother blamed her father for everything so she concluded that her mother was just biased.

That day when he spoke to her in such a way, was one she wouldn't ever forget. It was if she was more grown up than she actually was, and perhaps she really was. The way the man's voice cracked as he talked was littered with age and was painfully heavy with what his own life had beaten into him. It had gotten to his daughter in a special way that she couldn't even begin to understand herself until the night of the feast for that the pigs had made for her, Wilson, and Willow. Much like the food that was literally served to all of them, she found the night to be somewhat lame. That was, of course, until the pigs began to dance around the fire pit once the feast was through. Wendy loved to dance, she had basically her whole life. It was something that she found she was just naturally good at._ 'Such a gift should be put to good use,'_ her father had also told her. He was never good at dancing.

Wendy found herself thinking of her father more than she ever would back at home. Living with only her mother for nearly three years with hardly any contact with him, caused her to simply put him out of her mind (She thought it was a lot easier than to think about him all the time). The morning after the feast and bonfire as they walked back to camp, she silently thought about him some more. All of them was carrying a small share of the crops the pigs were willing to part with. Willow and Wilson were walking with one another when walking along the brick path side-by-side, while Wendy was walking right behind them. The two chatted away to their heart's content, and she let herself stray from out of her own thoughts to notice how much they had loosened up around each other the night before; so much so that they were both dancing together near the end of the bonfire. Wendy wouldn't have ever taken Wilson as a dancer whatsoever. She didn't understand what had made them grow so suddenly close. Well, close enough to casually joke and talk to each other in a way that they couldn't the day before. She thought she had even heard Wilson address Willow by simply her name, not _'Miss Willow.'_ Whatever the reason was behind it, she figured it was safe to assume it was a good thing. She desperately hoped that it was and that they wouldn't argue as much anymore; Wendy hated it when people did that. However, Wendy was still very thankful that they were talking with one another so well. She certainly didn't feel like talking at the moment, despite her tendency to humor Willow at times. But that was mainly because Wilson seemed so shut out from people and unused to human interaction. Besides, Wendy actually liked Willow; she was sweet and she especially appreciated how Willow didn't feel the need to talk down to her just because she was a young child.

Once the group had made their way back to the camp, Willow and Wilson finished their conversation with each other. So then they broke apart, going off to do their own thing with equally big smiles on their faces. Wilson retreated to his desk, humming to himself softly and Willow collected all the food they got, sorting through it. Wendy stood by herself awkwardly, unsure of what to do to stay productive. Looking between Wilson and Willow, she concluded she would be able to offer Willow better assistance than what she could offer Wilson. She made her way over towards the fire pit, where Willow was working on going through everyone's supplies that she had laid out onto the ground. Her intention was to organize it all better. It was almost impressive how messy Wilson was with his own supplies.

"Hello, Willow," Wendy greeted her calmly after walking over, "Need some help with all of this?"

Willow pulled her gaze from the pile of stuff, meeting the young girl's big eyes. She still had that giddy grin plastered across her pale face. Willow nodded, "Yeah actually, please and thank you."

Sitting down onto the ground next to her, Wendy examined the supplies. She said softly, "You and Wilson are in a very good mood this morning."

Willow chuckled, "I suppose we might be… last night was really amazing. I haven't danced in so long! Wilson isn't necessarily the best dance partner, but at least he never was clumsy enough to step on any feet or bump into things. Plus, it was also really nice to have the opportunity to get to know him a little bit better too."

"He seems just as gleeful as you today, I think that he had fun," Wendy replied.

"It was a good night," Willow sighed happily and added, "But Wendy, you also looked like you were enjoying yourself last night too. I saw you as you began to dance… you're a natural at it."

Wendy nodded, "Thank you for saying so. I have always loved to dance."

"You got to teach me how sometime," Willow laughed, starting to move the supplies around in a certain way, "I may have had some fun but that doesn't mean that I probably didn't look absolutely ridiculous."

Wendy began helping her sort out the stuff, noticing her organizational pattern, "I took ballet for years before I was taken here… I loved it. Would you like to learn ballet?"

Willow looked as though she was trying not to make a face,_ "Ballet…?_ No, that's not for me at all. On second thought, I think that I'll just leave it to the professional dancer here."

Wendy felt a genuine and natural smile creep its way into her face, amused by Willow's silly and charming manner. Wendy wasn't ever much of a talker, definitely more of a listener. But Willow both talked and listened well, it was so refreshing to the little child. To her, Wendy's parents never listened to her well. It was weird to Wendy how easy it was to speak with Willow, how much she truly enjoyed making conversation with her. That sort of thing was rare for Wendy, especially since she hardly knew the woman. As the two worked, Wendy came to the conclusion that Willow just had a very special pull to her that was hard for her to ignore. _Maybe that was why she's been getting along so well with Wilson now…_ she thought to herself, _Even a reclusive man such as him gets along with her after some time...after actually relaxing and getting to know her better._

"Good work, Wendy!" Willow said kindly, suddenly pulling Wendy out of her own head. She was so lost in thought that she hardly took notice of the fact that they were already finished with what they were doing, "We make a good team, huh?"

Blinking a couple of times, Wendy slowly nodded and replied, "Thank you too, Willow...I suppose that we do make a good team."

"Thanks," she shrugged humbly, "I'm going to go out of the camp again to check the traps to see how many bunnies we caught over the night. You do whatever you want, just promise you won't go off too far and keep yourself productive, alright? Just be reasonable, please."

Wendy's eyes widened for a brief moment before quickly returning back to their regular size. She was amazed by how much trust Willow was putting into her; it encouraged the young kid in a way that she had never had the chance to experience yet since no one ever gave her the chance. It made her feel grown up and valued, which meant the world to her.

"Yes, I will do that," she nodded, easily hiding her excitement with her calm attitude, "Thank you…for trusting me to take care of myself. I promise I'll be safe."

Willow shrugged, "I have no choice, honestly. You cannot be monitored and looked after here 24/7, there's no time for Wilson and me to do that. You may be young but you seem mature enough to me. Though, I have been told my judgment isn't really the best."

_Mature…_ the word echoed heavily through Wendy's mind. What a beautiful and joyous word! No other word that could have possibly left Willow's mouth could have been the cause for the bright smile that formed on the little girl's small face. It was a large smile, one that almost caught Willow off guard.

"Well... thank you anyways," Wendy said kindly, "I won't break that generous trust you've chosen to put in me."

Willow simply smiled at her eagerness before waltzing on over to her backpack that was resting by the chest. Throwing it over her shoulder, the woman hummed while walking away from the camp. She still was in that chipper mood that she was in before, even more so now. Willow was practically glowing from her attitude, radiating upbeat energy. Wendy watched the woman skip away from the camp.

For the first time since he sat down, Wilson looked up from his journal as is mind allowed him to hear Willow skip away. His gaze landed on her disappearing figure, lingering on her for a minute before he looked over at Wendy. "Miss Wendy," he called politely, "Would you please grab something for me from the chest? I would ask Miss Willow but apparently, she left the base..."

She looked at him and nodded, "Yes, what do you want?"

"Please hand me a small pile of rocks from the chest," he requested, "Nine, to be exact."

Wendy raised an eyebrow at what he would need them for but nodded anyway, keeping her curiosity to herself. She bent down to open the chest, easily finding some rocks now that everything was organized well. Grabbing nine of them, she stood up straight and closed the lid of the chest. She then made her way over to Wilson's desk, giving them to him politely.

"What'cha need them for?" she asked curiously.

He set them down gently onto the corner of the desk, "I am working on a new invention, although, it is not something particularly grant or completely new. With some assistance from the science machine that I made, I will be able to make many more useful inventions, you see."

"So, what are you working on now?"

"I am going to make us a crockpot," Wilson answered, "It will help with cooking a whole lot."

"Interesting," Wendy said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I think so too," he smiled, "I think I may have to refine these rocks first because I plan to use them for the actual pot itself."

"Good choice. I've never made a crockpot before, so I wouldn't know."

He beamed with pride and then cleared his throat to humble himself. Wilson asked Wendy somewhat awkwardly, "Where did Miss Willow head off to?"

"She went to go check the rabbit traps," Wendy told him.

"Oh," he nodded slowly, "I see…"

Wendy paused, then asked him, "Is there...is there anything else you need me to do?"

He scratched his chin in thought, "Not that I can think of...not for now, at least. You could just go out and collect supplies if you want to keep yourself busy. Perhaps I will need assistance later."

"Oh...alright," she nodded, looking around for a moment. The wind was soft and light, but it still sent a chill down the girl's spine. She mumbled, "It's pretty chilly today."

Wilson grunted in response, having turned back to his journal. His mind was already elsewhere.

Deciding that she wasn't going to be much use to anyone just standing there like a log stump, she headed back towards the fire pit without another word to or from Wilson. Grabbing her own backpack, she chose to walk over to the safer and more explored side of the camp (She wanted to keep to her word with Willow; Wendy knew her limits). Over there, the grass was an extremely healthy shade of green and the number of supplies that she could gather seemed almost endless. There were flowers, tall grass, twigs, berries, carrots, and mushrooms aplenty. Even though the three knew full well that, depending on how long they would be stuck there, the resources would inevitably run out. It wasn't nearly an area of concern for them.

Walking around, she started collecting as many supplies as she possibly could. Thankfully, the large number of things to collect in the area allowed her to stay busy. After some time of collecting, she sat down onto a tree stump. Looking at everything that she had gathered, Wendy frowned as she looked down at some flowers she had gotten. Getting an idea, she carefully weaved them all into a little crown, which actually took her not nearly as long of a time as she initially believed it would. Once she was finished and satisfied with what she had made, Wendy put it on top of her head and covered the pink flower that was already resting on top of her head. Taking in a deep breath, she felt herself feel refreshed and her mind began to clear a little. It didn't necessarily help her to focus but it did seem to help mentally, just in a more different, hardly describable way. Deciding that this could be useful for Willow and especially Wilson as well as her, she stood up from the tree stump and collected some more flowers.

While she did so, she strayed a little further from the camp than what Willow probably had in mind. She didn't really think much of it, determined to make a contribution for the day no matter what. As she moved along, she heard soft footsteps and a strange, gobbling noise in the distance. Looking around to determine the source of the sound, Wendy saw a big, fat, turkey. It was walking towards a little pile of berries that were laid out in front of a large pine tree, most likely to eat them. _Strange,_ Wendy thought, _It's suspicious that those berries are just laying out like that. The best explanation of that happening is if someone put them there as bait to catch it and-_

Just when the turkey had made its way towards the berries, a very big and towering man jumped from behind the tree that was next to the pile. Waving an ax around, he struck the bird and killed it before it could've taken one single bite of the berries. The man was impressively muscular, with a big, black, and curly mustache with matching black hair that was greased back and thin. He was wearing a red and white striped leotard and black boots. He had pale skin and a big chin. After collecting the meat left behind by the turkey and picking the berries up, he turned and finally took notice of Wendy.

**"Flower girl!?"** he shouted, looking up at the garland on her head.

Wendy stiffened in shock at how loud and intimidating he sounded. She mentally scolded herself for wandering off too far.

**"Flower very young…"** the man observed in a softer tone, obviously more used to shouting, **"I Wolfgang! The strongman!"**

Wendy tilted her head to the side as she calmed herself as best she could, "Strongman…? As in, like, a circus?"

Wolfgang nodded with a prideful and self-assured grin, **"Yes! Wolfgang best and most strong in whole circus! Man in radio talked to Wolfgang! He talked with Wolfgang's friends! Radio man bring Wolfgang here..."**

Furrowing her brows, Wendy replied, "I was sent here by him as well...but I was alone. He spoke to your friends too?"

**"Spoke to all of us!"** he nodded, **"Wolfgang turn on machine we all made. Radio man take Wolfgang here! Wolfgang lost friends…"**

"Who are your friends, er, Wolfgang?"

**"Spider child, Viking, and silent man!"** Wolfgang answered her.

"Hmm... I see," Wendy nodded before asking, seemingly out of nowhere, "Are you hungry?"

He nodded.

"Come with me, I have food back at camp," she explained, "There are two others that were here before me and they are letting me stay with them...but I am afraid they are definitely not who you are looking for. But maybe we could still help you."

Wolfgang grinned, **"Little girl nice to Wolfgang. He thank her…"**

Giving him a nervous but still genuine smile, Wendy lead him all the way back towards the camp. Once the two had arrived back at the camp late that afternoon, Willow was back from checking the traps and was talking with Wilson.

"You want me to do _what_ with my lighter?" she asked him like he was insane, looking nervous.

"I need some charcoal," Wilson explained patiently, "To make a crockpot, it will help us with cooking."

"Wow…" she mumbled in surprise, "Usually people don't want me to burn things down with it."

Wilson smiled, unaware of the implications of what she had said. "Thank you, Miss Wi-"

He stopped talking when he took notice of Wendy and Wolfgang walking towards the camp. His eyes grew as wide as plates and Willow looked over her shoulder to see what he was gawking at, she gasped slightly.

"Wendy…" Wilson said to her quietly once they walked up to him and Willow, "Who...who the heck is that?"

**"Wolfgang!"** he boomed loudly, taking the liberty to answer the question himself, **"The strongman! Flower girl say you are friend?"**

"Uh…" Wilson mumbled awkwardly.

"Yup!" Willow nodded with an awkward yet still kind smile, "Were you taken here by a strange man, by any chance?"

**"Radio man!"** he nodded with a frown, **"Kind lady know radio man? Flower girl does."**

"He took all of us here," Willow confirmed.

Wolfgang smiled,** "Wolfgang feels bad for kind lady. Kind lady doesn't deserve it! No one does…"**

Willow nodded sympathetically, "You hungry? It's almost time for us to have dinner anyways."

"Miss Willow, I think you should try to get charcoal as soon as you possibly can so perhaps-"

_"I'll get it tomorrow,"_ Willow cut him off in a stern but not in an angry way, "We should focus on helping Wolfgang adjust tonight."

Wilson huffed, "Fine...you can wait until tomorrow."

She smiled, almost looking relieved, "Thanks for understanding, Wilson!"

He returned the smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

**"Wolfgang hopes he no burden!"** he laughed, glancing between the two.

"We need all the help we can get," Wilson shrugged honestly.

"I'm going to go make us all some food," Willow said, walking over towards the fire pit. Opening her backpack, she took out some dead rabbits from the traps. Wilson and Wendy watched her work for a moment. Wendy walked over to the fire pit, sitting down next to Willow and helped her prepare their food. She didn't really know how to herself, but Willow was happy to say that Wendy was a good listener.

Wolfgang followed Wilson back to his work desk, making the smaller man a little uncomfortable.

**"Tiny man have desk?"** he asked, looking down at it, **"Desk well made."**

Wilson sighed and then nodded, "Yes, I am a scientist, you see; it just helps me to work more efficiently when I have something here that is more familiar around..."

**"Wolfgang likes tiny scientist!"** Wolfgang boomed with a big and hearty smile.

Wilson frowned. Yes, Wolfgang towered over him, but Wilson was always considered a very tall man. He hadn't been called tiny since his childhood.

"Umm...thank you, Wolfgang," he mumbled awkwardly, trying his best to simply take the compliment he gave him.

**"Wolfgang thanks tiny scientist for letting him stay at camp,"** Wolfgang said, **"Wolfgang hopes he will be of some assistance to them."**

"I am sure you will," Wilson replied, taking notice of Wolfgang's large muscles. He frowned, _So he is taller and stronger than me...he will be just fine._

**"Wolfgang go talk with kind lady now!"** he smiled, leaving Wilson at his desk, alone.

Wilson frowned, watching as Wolfgang began talking with Willow, with Wendy speaking up and giving her input every now and then. Not even a day there, and Wolfgang was already getting along super well with Willow; he even got Wendy to talk a little bit more. Wilson didn't understand it at all.

* * *

Wilson didn't just misunderstand social interaction, he downright hated it now.

He was almost offended that a man like Wolfgang was better at conversating than him. After Willow and Wendy were finished with making everyone's dinner, they all sat together around the campfire to eat. There was much more talking now with Wolfgang involved which surprisingly, Wilson didn't mind at all (Even with Wolfgang's loud, booming voice). It was how easily he was able to make Willow smile, to make her laugh like it was nobody's business, that upset him. By the end of dinner, Wendy was loosened up too. Just not as much as the night before. It was ridiculous to Wilson, not that he would ever admit that. The scientist would not choose to call what he was feeling _'jealousy.'_ It was a word that implied something dark and uneasy growing inside of him. He was simply curious about how Wolfgang could get along with them so well is all...or so he told himself, that is.

Having finished with supper, the four sat on logs around the fire. Wendy was looking up at Wolfgang with slight interest as he told a story. Willow was smiling wide, and Wilson was wearing an unpleasant frown while crossing his arms.

**"Viking's act dangerous enough!"** Wolfgang continued, **"But ring man set net underneath on fire to make more dangerous! It was magnificent sight!"**

"Was she alright?" Willow asked nervously, noticeably intrigued.

**"Viking is talented! She was OK,"** he assured her.

She smiled and nodded softly, "Your friends sound cool."

"Especially that spider kid you mentioned," Wendy added, "Is he _actually_ a spider?"

**"Fangs, multiple arms and eyes, whole nine yards,"** Wolfgang said, **"Spider child incredible. Could make people scream like crazy. Wolfgang misses him...Wolfgang misses all of his friends…"**

Giving him a sympathetic look, Willow put a hand on his shoulder, "I understand… it must be hard to leave so many people behind."

Wendy looked at Wolfgang sadly.

**"Wolfgang OK… he is thankful he now has all you,**" he shrugged.

Taking her hand off his shoulder, Willow chuckled softly, "That's nice of you to say."

Wilson sighed silently, not wishing to draw any attention to himself; he knew how unpleasant he was when he was annoyed. Briefly glancing over at her, he saw Wendy raise an eyebrow at him as they made eye contact. He shifted his gaze back down towards the ground.

"Hey Wilson," the little girl spoke up, gaining everyone's attention and causing him to look back up at him, "Are you working on anything new since you had just finished up with the science machine?"

He realized that he had all eyes on him and nodded slowly, "Uhh... er, yes. I mean...sort of, I suppose. I am going to make a crockpot to help make some food. Hopefully, even I could maybe make a decent meal with that. Miss Willow just needs to assist me when collecting coal, then I can make it."

Willow didn't say anything, looking blankly at the fire pit.

**"How tiny scientist and kind lady get coal?"** he asked.

"Burning trees down," Wilson answered, "Trust me, it will work."

Wolfgang shrugged, **"Wolfgang will trust tiny scientist judgment."**

"Thank you," he sighed politely, "Anyways, while Miss Willow and I do that, I have a task for you and Wendy to take care of if you wish to agree to it."

"What's that?" the little girl asked, hiding her eagerness to help out.

"Well," he cleared his throat, "I need the two of you to venture out to collect some logs and grass, as well as some twigs. You will need to make a lot of rope out of the grass. We will use it to make a log suit and a spear, it will be extremely useful if we run into any danger. Anyways, you can use the science machine to help you to understand how to make the rope."

"Wouldn't we need something sharp for a spear?" Wendy asked.

"Good question, Miss Wendy," he smiled, "You would need flint but we have plenty of that already, it is right in the chest. Just focus on the logs, twigs, and grass. It is a simple task but it is one that will be very important. If you get done before Miss Willow and I, feel free to start making them."

**"When will Wolfgang and flower girl leave?"**

"First thing in the morning," he announced, "As well as Miss Willow and I."

Wolfgang nodded.

"Speaking of flowers," Willow suddenly spoke up, "Wendy, why did you make that sweet garland of yours? I thought that you already have a flower on your head."

Wendy lightly touched the nest of flowers on her head, "I know it sounds strange...but I think it helps with my mental state. When I put it on after making it...it just, cleared my mind and made me feel refreshed."

Wilson frowned but looked intrigued, "Hmm...so you say it helps you focus."

"Wilson, if it helped with focus I would have given it to you hours ago," Wendy said, causing Willow and Wolfgang to snicker, "I don't think it helps with focus as much as it makes me feel...more relaxed? Maybe you could say that it helps me keep my mind cleared, not exactly focused per se."

"Sounds useful," Willow shrugged, "How about while Wilson and I are out tomorrow...we can collect some flowers to make us all one."

Wilson looked at her like she was crazy.

"Good idea," Wendy nodded, "I made mine out of twelve."

"Flowers…" Wilson mumbled, "How ridiculous."

"Wilson, watch it," Willow told him sternly, nudging him on the arm.

Wendy shrugged, "I understand if he's skeptical. I just think it may be of some use is all…"

Sighing, Wilson nodded almost guiltily, "Alright...we will collect the flowers tomorrow as well."

"Okay," the little girl replied.

"So…" Willow stretched out her arms, "We've got a plan for the next day. We should all get as much rest as we possibly can."

"Yes," Wilson agreed, "Tomorrow will be somewhat of an eventful day…"

* * *

**Wolfgang cannot do grammar correctly, haha (Love him all the more for it).**

**Anyways, I apologize that this chapter is notably shorter than the last three. However, my next chapter is going to be long as hell and will explore the pasts of each of our characters...**

**Review goal: 9**

**Thank you all so so so much for reading!**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


	5. Motivations

**Words: 4,415**

**Warnings: Swearing and deep stuff**

* * *

_Flowers… _Wilson had thought to himself as he scoffed, _How absurd it is to believe that a crown made of such a simple thing be as useful as the little girl says? To relax...goodness, it makes no sense. What a waste of time..._

He wore a soft frown on his pale face as he threw his backpack over his shoulders, continuing to get even more lost in his own head. It was a bright and early morning, not a single cloud in the sky. Despite that, the breeze that swept over the area was crisp and bitter with the promise of plenty more winds like that to come along soon. Wilson feared the possibility of it getting colder; surviving now was hard enough without worrying about getting any snow. He wasn't sure what this place's screwed up version of winter could be and he assumed the worst. He had to because preparing for the worst possible outcome, he believed, would help him to be ready for anything. But he still didn't know enough about the constant (as Wendy had called it) to know where to start. He hated not having the resources available to teach him.

Even with that, he still felt some excitement wash over himself as he got ready for the day ahead of him. He had mentally gone over all the important plans he had made for the day and he wasn't going to let him waste anymore time for _anything_ whatsoever. He was determined and felt the kind of energy rush that he usually got exclusively from drinking a good cup of coffee.

The other three were also getting ready for the day as well. Wendy was the last one on lookout so she was already up by sunrise. She took it upon herself to get everything that she needed packed and ready to go. The little girl was patiently sitting on the ground by the fire pit, resting her chin in the palm of her tiny hand. Wolfgang was eating a quick breakfast, humming to himself out of boredom. He had gotten himself packed before he went to bed just so that he could have something to eat. Wilson had to admit that he appreciated the strongman looking ahead of time a little. Lastly, Willow was grumpily shoving her things into her backpack. Wilson noticed how her brows furrowed together in deep frustration and the circles around her eyes had darkened, showing a lack of sleep from the night before. She was very crabby after Wilson had woke her up, hardly even saying a word to him or anyone else. It was noticeable to not only Wilson, but the other two. Her bad attitude created a thick sense tension in the camp.

Soon, Wolfgang finished with his breakfast and stood up from the little log that he had been sitting on. He turned to Wilson with a satisfied gleam shimmering in his small eyes, "**Wolfgang ready, tiny scientist.**"

Wilson nodded, forcing himself to get used to the nickname for the time being, "Alright," he turned to Wendy and Willow, "You two ready to go?"

Wendy simply nodded and Willow didn't answer him; she didn't even look at him to acknowledge the fact that she had even heard him.

"Uh...Miss Willow, did you-"

"Yeah," she harshly cut him off, looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact.

Wilson shared a quick glance with Wendy before he nodded. He thought it would be best if he doesn't bother her as much as he possibly could.

"**Alright...Wolfgang and little girl go now!**" Wolfgang boomed suddenly, looking down at the child as he gestured for them to get a move on.

She nodded and quickly led the way, eager to leave the awkward situation behind her. Wolfgang didn't dally any longer, walking after her with his ax in hand. He waved to Wilson as he walked away; a smug grin on his face that made the scientist frown. _Cheeky jerk, _he thought bitterly.

Wilson slowly turned his head to allow his eyes to look over at Willow. Her shoulders were tensed and the expression on her face twisted into one that Wilson couldn't at first understand until it had finally hit him: she looked extremely nervous about something.

"Miss Willow, are you-"

"Let's just get going," she snapped.

* * *

Wendy was admittedly surprised at Wolfgang's silence. Judging by his talkative and cheery personality during dinner the night before, she assumed that he was going to try chatting with her the whole time that they worked on collecting the twigs, grass, and logs. But that just wasn't the case, as he instead chose to remain quiet. It both surprised and relieved the young girl. She wasn't much of a talker and didn't want to be forced into a conversation. But at the same time, it didn't seem like Wolfgang to not be so social. Wendy was a little curious to the reason behind it. _Is it because he wants to stay focused? Maybe it has something to do with Willow's strange behavior? Perhaps it's because he's not a morning person...? _she ran some ideas through her head but nothing seemed to make sense. She felt the desire to speak up about it but she never went through with it. The girl let them stay in silence as they began their work of collecting the supplies Wilson asked them to. _If he wants to talk, he'll talk, _Wendy had told herself with a little sigh.

About a half an hour of working passed before Wolfgang suddenly spoke up, taking Wendy by surprise and making her jump. He said in a slightly softer tone than normal, "**Wolfgang has question for little girl.**"

Wendy paused before continuing to collect some grass, "What is it?"

"**Why is little girl here?**" the man asked seriously, stopping his work altogether so that he could face her, "**What did radio man offer little girl?**"

Wendy paused on what she was doing again, looking up at him with wide eyes. For a moment, they stood in silence once again. She could hear the sound of the breeze weaving its way around every single blade of grass. Even with that, everything felt so still until she finally answered him, "That 'radio man,' as you call him, spoke to me through my flower…one that my twin sister gave me a long time ago. Wilson said that his real name is Maxwell, according to Willow, that is. He told me he would let me see my sister again as long as I built something for him. I was stupid enough to follow his directions and do as I was told..."

Wolfgang gave her a sympathetic look, "**Radio man persuaded little girl...radio man did that to Wolfgang and circus friends. Little girl not stupid.**"

"What did he promise you?" she asked him innocently.

"**Freedom from harsh judgement...from circus,**" he said plainly, looking at the ground, "**Wolfgang performer...but ringmaster cruel to Wolfgang and circus friends.**"

"Oh…" Wendy said weakly, biting down onto her bottom lip, "And you can't just quit?"

He shook his head, "**Circus all Wolfgang ever known.**"

Wolfgang sighed and sat down onto a large rock to rest his feet. He gently set his ax down onto the ground so that it was propped up against the rock. Wendy hesitated before she decided to sit down next to him, looking at her hands as she tried to think of what else she could say to him.

Wolfgang spoke up anyways, interrupting her thoughts, "**Wrong to bring little girl here...wrong to bring anyone here. Especially wrong for little girl...radio man will pay for radio man's actions.**"

Wendy shrugged, "I agree, no one belongs here. But how would you even get to Maxwell, he's probably not even here with us. And if he is, I have no doubt in my mind that he's hidden himself well...maybe with protection too."

"**Wolfgang will find a way,**" he said confidently.

"But _how…?_" Wendy pressed.

Wolfgang smiled, "**Wolfgang doesn't know to be honest. Tiny scientist very smart...tiny scientist might help Wolfgang.**"

Wendy also smiled, "Well...I just want you to be able to leave this place…find a good place far away from that awful ringmaster."

"**Doesn't little girl want to leave?**"

"Yes," she shrugged, "But I never feel like I really belong anywhere regardless, you know? It's just more dangerous and savage out here. I just miss my sister…more than anything."

Wolfgang nodded, "**Wolfgang understands little girl. Wolfgang misses circus friends; circus friends Wolfgang's family.**"

"I'm sure they miss you to death," she told him with a comforting smile.

"**Wolfgang sure that little girl's sister misses little girl too…**"

Wendy felt her breath catch abruptly in her throat. His words meant well, she was sure of that. How could he possibly even know anything that happened to her twin anyways? Despite Wolfgang's ignorance to her situation, his words still stung and continued to ring obnoxiously inside her head.

Keeping her eyes fixed on her hands, she whispered to him, "I honestly don't know if she does miss me or not...she's _gone._"

It was now Wolfgang's turn to grow speechless. His shoulders tensed up as he tried to think about what he could possibly say to her. Death was a tough topic to discuss with anyone, especially a child as young as her. Wolfgang was a great entertainer, not so much good with kids one on one like this; especially when it came to this sort of serious problem. Making her giggle will do nothing to help her and he knew it.

"**Oh,**" he said weakly, his voice still somehow just as booming as normal, "**Wolfgang...very sorry. Wolfgang did not know…**"

Wendy shrugged, "How could I expect you to…?"

He hesitated before he asked, "**How did little girl's sister...uh, pass away?**"

"It was last year," she told him, "I was with her and dad in the car on our way home from dinner one night. A car had crashed into us out of nowhere, dad said the other driver was drunk but he didn't say much about him...anyways, we made it and she didn't. I broke my arm though."

Wolfgang slowly nodded, "**What was little girl's sister's name?**"

"_Abigail…_" she told him. Wendy then reached into the pocket of her little red skirt, pulling out a light pink flower that was white at the tips. She held it out for Wolfgang to see it, "She gave this to me…"

"**Little girl said radio man speak to little girl through flower that sister gave little girl...**" he stated somewhat curiously, looking down at it.

Wendy nodded, "Yes, this is that flower. However, he hasn't contacted me since I was sent here…otherwise I would've told Wilson."

"**Radio man might have moved on to new victim,**" Wolfgang told her grimly.

"I sure hope not...but I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Wendy sighed, "People like him..._monsters_ like him, all they do is prey on the innocent and those weaker than him. He's like a snake that has slithered into our lives and has poisoned them. Now we might die out here…we're all closer to Abigail than we've probably ever been before. No car accident or circus can prepare anyone for place such as this…"

Wolfgang's eyes widened, "**Little girl talk so negatively...little girl been through so much already.**"

Wendy shrugged, "My parents divorced and I lost my sister...life is just cruel like that. There's not anything I can do about that, other than keep on going. When it's my time, I will join Abigail."

"**Little girl is only little girl...little girl shouldn't have to grow up so fast…**"

Wendy bit down onto her bottom lip, pulling her head upwards to meet his sad gaze. She didn't even noticed the tears hanging off the edge of her eyes until she looked at him. He hadn't noticed his own tears either, his shoulders relaxing in the recognition of hers.

"I guess...I guess not…" she said, her voice barely even audible.

"**Wolfgang wishes little girl's life wasn't so hard,**" he told her sternly, "**Little girl so young...too young to be hurt like that. Especially to be hurt by radio man...not fair for little girl. Life is hard but little girl should be able to have fun while little girl grows up just like any other child. Little girl should be able to not let life beat the joy out of little girl's tiny gaze. Little girl's sister would want little girl to smile and be happy...little girl's sister wouldn't want little girl to be put in a place like this; anyone wouldn't want that. Little girl's sister wouldn't want little girl to be some pawn in radio man's sick game. Tiny scientist and kind lady don't deserve any of this...little girl **_**especially **_**doesn't; no child would. Radio man monstrous for bringing little girl here, Wolfgang never forgive radio man for that.**"

Wendy was a little surprised by Wolfgang's sincerity, his voice grew firmer as he talked. It was clear to Wendy that he cared about people's safety, especially when it came to children. He was genuine and straightforward with her, something that she appreciated greatly. When he was done, Wendy felt her lips curl upwards into a little grin.

"Thank you for your kind words, Wolfgang. It really means a lot to me..." she said kindly before she suddenly pulled him into a quick hug. Her little arms could hardly wrap around his arms his muscles were so large.

Wolfgang chuckled softly, patting the girl's head before she pulled away from him. He stood up from the stone and stretched out his arms, cracking each of his fingers. "**Little girl nice to Wolfgang...Wolfgang thanks little girl. We should get back to work, though. Tiny scientist would be happy if we finish early to start on making the log suit and spear.**"

Wendy nodded and stood up after him, the smile still plastered across her pale cheeks.

* * *

Carefully picking a flower up from the ground, Wilson stuffed it into his pocket while he continued searching the ground for another one. He was still upset about the ridiculousness of making a flower garland for everyone just because Wendy claims that it helps _'clear the mind.' _He still found himself being upset about it even though he'd given in and was collecting flowers for garlands anyways.

And to make matters worse, Willow's mood hadn't improved since they left the camp. Wilson was willing to admit that he was starting to get worried about her. It wasn't normal for her to be so sour and quiet. _What am I to even ask her? _he thought to himself as he picked another flower, watching as a butterfly quickly flew away from him, _Whenever my father would ask my mother about her mood that would only make things worse. Miss Willow is really...is a real firecracker, for certain. I do not want to possibly offend her...but I really do hate seeing her like this. Miss Willow...she is always so positive and quick witted. What could possibly bring her mood down this drastically?_

Sighing, Wilson finally decided that he must say something to her. _It cannot hurt to at least try,_ he thought as he started to walk over towards her. Willow was a few yards away from him, dully examining a little daisy that she was holding in her hand. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching her, she looked up from the flower and faced Wilson. The scientist suddenly felt a large lump forming in his throat, feeling a heavy drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. Her gaze was on him, he knew that he couldn't possibly turn back now.

"Yes?" she asked, putting the flower in her pocket. Her expression stayed blank.

"Miss Willow…" he started, sucking in a deep breath, "Are you...a-are you feeling alright? You have not been yourself all day…"

Willow's eyebrows furrowed together as she processed his question. Her answer came out ruder than she meant for it to, "What? I haven't been acting weird, don't be so fucking ridiculous."

Wilson felt his face grow hot as he tried to explain himself. His hands clenched into fists and his shoulders tensed. He was frozen like a statue and his lips were the only thing that worked, "B-But...I...you...you have not...I…I-I..." well, just barely, that is.

Willow's eyes widened and she sighed softly. Her gaze fell to the ground before she forced herself to meet his gaze once again. She told him gently, "I'm sorry, Wilson...you were just trying to be nice. I'm sorry I haven't been myself…I guess I've been a little grumpy today."

Wilson felt his shoulders slowly start relax, "You are forgiven, Miss Willow...but will...will you tell me what is wrong?"

Willow's expression went from guilty to fearful as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Well...it's a little difficult to explain. Even harder for people to understand and accept."

Wilson frowned, sighing softly as he hesitantly walked a little closer to her, "I will listen and I will not judge you. Something is bothering you...please, allow me to do my best to be of some assistance to you, Miss Willow."

Willow raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Alright...well, you see...I've been upset because I...it's about collecting coal. It's about burning down the trees for it."

"How would that make you upset?" he asked curiously, his expression still soft.

"I…" she paused to take in a deep breath, "It has a lot to do with why I'm here...I am...you see, uh...I am a pyromaniac...a very severe case of it; according to my doctors, anyway."

Wilson's brows furrow together and then he gulped softly, "Pyromaniac...an obsession with-"

"Fire," she cut in, running a shaky hand through her messy bangs, "Yeah well...everywhere I go people ridicule me for it...try to lock me away like some sort of freak! That bastard Maxwell promised me a place to get away from it all...he promised me freedom. I'm just worried...worried that…"

Wilson's face twitched with concern, "Yes? Go on…"

"I'm just worried that you'll think I'm a freak or something," she said softly, "I always get so carried away...even when I manage, people still freak out because of my...er, talent."

"First of all, I am the last person to ever call anyone a freak," he promised her wholeheartedly, "second...what is your 'special talent'?"

"Well…" Willow sighed, looking away from him. She smiled when her gaze landed on a tree not to far from the two of them. Without another word, she started walking towards the tree and reached into her pocket for her lighter. Wilson curiously followed her, rubbing his forehead. Once she was right in front of the decent-sized tree, she casually held the lighter up to the tree and lit it on fire. Wilson opened his mouth out of concern, noticing how close she was standing to the tree. She was even closer than when he had first met her standing next to that other burning tree (which, he made a mental note of how much more sense that made now knowing of her condition). But then her next course of action sent a wave of shock and pure fear through Wilson's entire body. Willow didn't even hesitate as she reached her hand out and put it right into the flames of the tree.

"_**Willow!**_" Wilson screamed, his body shaking as he covered his eyes.

To his surprise, the only sound that he heard come from her was laughter.

_Wait...what? She is...**laughing!? **_he thought to himself as he slowly pulled his hands away from his face, opening his eyes.

Willow continued to giggle softly at him, her hand and forearm completely engulfed in the flames. But it wasn't burning, not at all.

"_What…?_" he whispered, completely dumbfounded. His dark eyes were as wide as plates but his body was still shaking from worry, "_What the actual __**fuck**_**_…?_**"

Willow pulled her arm away from the tree and turned her body slightly so that she was facing him completely. She let out a hearty laugh, "Language, Wilson!"

"I-I do not care…" he shook his head, "How in the world did you do that? That was...my goodness, that was _the most __**amazing**_ _thing I have ever seen in my life!_"

Willow's humorous expression changed into one of surprise, "Oh…! No one has ever...ever reacted like that."

"Why not?" Wilson laughed, "That is wonderful! The most incredible scientific discovery ever made! You are so special, Miss Willow! One of a kind! Something I was already sure of but my goodness you-"

"One of a kind? Jesus, why are you so _cheesy?_" Willow laughed, shaking her head.

"Miss Willow...you are unbelievable! But in a good way, I promise you that!" Wilson gushed, his brain moving a million miles an hour, "I feel so lucky!"

He laughed with the dopiest grin Willow had ever seen, especially not one that she would expect from Wilson. He suddenly pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. Their cheeks were pressed together along with the rest of their bodies and Wilson was too caught up in his laughter to even care or notice. Willow laughed out of surprise, feeling her face start to grow unnaturally warm.

"W-Wilson…!" she stuttered, "You need to calm down!"

Wilson paused, taking a brief moment to understand what he was doing. His pale cheeks immediately flushed bright pink and he pulled away from her.  
"Oh my goodness…" he mumbled, "I-I am sorry...I guess that I should c-calm down a bit."

The two shared an awkward laugh and Willow told him honestly, "It's alright...you were only...uh, exciting is all. Kind of nice to see you so damn cheerful for once, actually."

"Oh…" Wilson said softly, his face still feeling extremely warm, "I see...sorry if I am too serious all the time or anything."

"Oh, it's not that big of a deal!" she explained quickly, "I understand your urgency given the circumstances...I'm actually really thankful for your levelheadedness here. But the thing is...during the quieter moments, like at dinner last night, you didn't seem to be having any fun at all."

Wilson laughed nervously again, rubbing the back of his neck. He had nearly forgotten about his slight jealousy of Wolfgang's ability to get along well with Willow and Wendy. He had hoped that it wasn't that noticeable. Wendy had but Wilson figured it was better that she did, since he really didn't want Willow to know. But to his dismay, she obviously noticed that something was wrong.

"I was just...lost in thought," he mumbled out the lie and avoided eye contact, hoping that would be enough convince her.

Unfortunately for Wilson, Willow wasn't that gullible. She crossed her arms and shook her head, "You're a horrible liar, Wilson...c'mon...you can tell me the truth. I just told you something very personal...you can trust me."

He sighed in defeat, hanging his head in shame as he told her softly, "I might have been...maybe just a little...uh...jealous of Wolfgang last night."

"Jealous?" Willow echoed as her face twisted into a frown, "Why?"

"Because you two had gotten along so well...and you hardly even know him," he said even quieter.

Willow let his words sink in before she suddenly burst into laughter. She grabbed onto her stomach and she wiped away a tear, "Oh Wilson! You're _hilarious!_"

"What…? Why!?" Wilson blurted, his face turning pink again.  
"Because," she laughed, "Wilson, you have to understand, Wolfgang is just...naturally more comfortable with talking with new people compared to you. Social interaction just isn't something you seem to be very good at...and that's nothing to be ashamed of if you're a little shy."

Wilson huffed, "It is just that you two got along so well! It took a few days before we got comfortable around one another…"  
"I guess...but there was no one else here with us at the time," she told him gently, "I mean, I wasn't sure at first if Maxwell was just trying to trick me or not."

"Makes sense…" he sighed, "I guess that I was just being ridiculous."

Willow cracked a smile and giggled softly, "It's alright, Wilson...no need to feel that way. I...I really do trust you now, please understand that. So next time, just join in the conversation!"

"Yes, I suppose that is true," he returned the smile, "I mean...you did tell me about your pyromania, that takes guts. I promise not to tell a soul."

"Thanks…" she smiled, looking over at the tree that she had set on fire. It had long burnt up completely.

Wilson looked over at the tree as well and his smile widened. He reached into his backpack, pulling out his ax. He said kindly, "You ready to do this? I trust you to control yourself, Miss Willow."

She tucked some loose hair behind her ear and nodded as she pulled out her lighter once again, "Yeah...thank you."

Next thing Wilson knew, five other trees were lit on fire and Willow was laughing louder than Wilson had ever heard her. She started shamelessly dancing through the fire; the flames reflected gorgeously on her grey eyes, making them shine and light up brighter than they had in a long time.

It was the most beautiful thing Wilson had ever seen in his life.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that I've been gone for so long! My computer broke after I returned from my vacation away from it and I had to send it somewhere to get it fixed. But thankfully everything has calmed down and I'm back once again! I promise I will not be gone for so long without warning ever again.**

**Anyways, thank you so much for your understanding and I will get to writing the next chapter as soon as I possibly can.**

**Review goal: 10**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


	6. Hounds

**Words: 5,774**

**Warnings: Swearing and mentions of blood; harm to a character**

* * *

"**Wolfgang thinks nice lady and tiny scientist taking too long,**" Wolfgang grunted, tying a sharp piece of flint to twigs to make a spear with his large hands.

Wendy was sitting down on another log in front of the fire pit and across from Wolfgang. She was carefully weaving some grass into tight ropes for Wolfgang to use.

Ever since their brief discussion when collecting the supplies themselves, the two had been talking comfortably with one another. Not too often but comfortably, which still meant something. Wendy actually found that she didn't mind it at all, even though she wasn't big on talking all the time. Wolfgang's understanding of that without her needing to tell him still amazed her.

"They might have gone a little bit further than they expected they would," she shrugged, her expression calm, "I don't think that we should worry just yet...give them time."

"**Nice lady not let tiny scientist get lost,**" Wolfgang decided confidently, smiling wide as he examined the spear, as he'd just finished making it.

"I suppose that she wouldn't."

Wendy finished weaving the rope and tossed it over to the strongman, who easily caught it. He immediately got to work on making another spear with the rope that Wendy threw to him. Wendy grabbed another pile of grass from her backpack and got back to work.

A minute or two passed until the faint sound of laughter could be heard coming from the distance; laughter coming from two sources. Wendy and Wolfgang looked up from their craftsmanship to glance each other, before their gazes scanned the area as they tried to find who was making the noises; despite them searching, they already had a pretty good guess as to who the laughter belonged to. Soon, the two saw Willow and Wilson walking back to camp, both of them having huge, dopey smiles planted across their equally pale faces.

"You're telling me you had ruined the entire kitchen?" Willow giggled, still deeply emerged in their conversation.

"Well, realistically, not the whole thing; my mother overreacted. However, I ruined enough to make her decide not to let me even look at the stove for two years after the whole incident."

"But why did you even-"

"Science!" he laughed, running a hand through his untamed hair.

"Oh, of course that's the reason why," she snorted.

The two finally made their way over to the camp, moving away from each other the moment they got there and dropping the conversation entirely. Wilson walked over to his desk and Willow plopped down onto a log, sitting down right next to Wendy.

"Hello, Willow," she greeted the woman politely, looking back down at the rope that she was making, "How was the little trip?"

Willow tossed off her backpack, setting it on the ground in front of her. She looked up at the little girl, still smiling, "It went pretty well...I see you and Wolfgang got a little bit of a head start, thanks for that."

"Wilson did tell us to," Wendy shrugged offhandedly.

Wolfgang piped up, "**Wolfgang and little girl listen to tiny scientist.**"

Willow nodded, pulling out six pieces of coal from her backpack. She stood up from her spot on the log and waltzed over to Wilson's desk. He was writing something down in his journal, his brows furrowed together in concentration. Once the fire starter made her way over to him, she tapped him softly on his shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked, not looking up.

"Here's the coal for the pot," she told him, setting the pile of coal down on the desk. Hearing the sound of Willow's voice, he looked up at her and then moved his gaze over to the coal pile.

"Yes, uh, thank you," he nodded, "Could you please give me some stones from the chest as well, Miss Willow?"

She nodded and immediately turned on her heel, walking back over to the fire pit. Wilson let his eyes linger on her person for a moment longer before he went back to writing in his journal.

"**Wolfgang finish spear another!**" he announced to Willow as she walked past him to go to the chest, "**Kind lady take it to tiny scientist. Wolfgang will make one for kind lady next, Wolfgang promises.**"

Willow nodded, opening the chest and grabbing some stones from the wooden container. She walked back over to Wolfgang with the Stones resting safely in her skirt pocket. He handed her the spear and she looked it over with a pleased grin.

"Looks good, Wolfgang," she complimented, "Well done."

"**Wolfgang thanks kind lady for saying so,**" he smiled before going right back to work on the other spear.

She made her way back towards Wilson, finishing up his journal entry. He finished his line and then closed it shut, looking over at Willow as she approached him once again.

She held the spear out to him carefully, gesturing for him to take it, "Here, a present from Wolfgang."

Wilson raised an eyebrow, taking the weapon away from her and setting it on the ground next to the desk. "Oh...tell him I said thank you. I know I had asked for them, however, it still is...quite brutish, right?"

Willow giggled, "I suppose it is but how else are we supposed to get food and defend ourselves out here?"

He shrugged, looking down at the spear again, "I just detest violence."

"Wilson-"

"I know, I know…no need for a lecture," he shook his head, weakly raising his hands up in surrender, "anyways, did you get the stones for me? Or were you too busy batting your eyelashes at Wolfgang?"

"Wilson, when did you become such a smart ass?" she asked sarcastically, only getting a shrug and a gentle grin from the man as an answer.

She reaches into her pocket and pulled out the stones, putting them down next to the pile of coal. Wilson's smile widened ever so slightly, looking down at the objects.

"Thank you, Miss Willow," he said, taking them and walking over to the science machine, "As soon as I am finishing making and setting up the crock pot we will have some dinner."

Willow grinned, "Does this mean that I get to cook from the pot?"

"Yes, only if you want to," Wilson nodded.

"Well, judging by what you said you did to your mother's kitchen, I'm not letting you touch the crock pot after you're done setting it up," she winked, before walking back over to the pit to wait.

Wilson shook his head, chuckling. _I cannot argue with that logic, _he thought to himself. With that in mind, he started working after taking out some twigs as well.

* * *

"Alright everyone!" Willow announced, standing up from the ground by the crock pot, "Time for us to see how well this crock pot cooked our meal!"

The other three sat patiently by the fire pit and watched as Willow started collecting their food from the pot. She neglected to tell them what she was making, as if she didn't even know that bit of information herself...

"**What kind lady make?**" Wolfgang asked curiously as she walked over.

"Now, Wolfgang, it is rude to just ask-"

"Jam!" Willow cheered, cutting Wilson off, "You know, like...like a fist full of jam for everyone."

Wendy nodded her approval and Wilson frowned, still bummed about Wolfgang's apparent rudeness.

"**Wolfgang can't wait to try!**" the strongman boomed as Willow walked over to him, giving him his share of the red jam. She handed some to everyone around the pit before she sat back down next to Wendy, holding a share for herself to eat. Everyone eagerly dug in, taking in the flavor of Willow's experienced cooking skills.

Wilson gave her a polite, "Thank you, Miss Willow; it is very lovely." after swallowing his first bite. Wolfgang happily gobbled his food up in only a few swift bites, giving Willow a toothy grin with his mouth still of food (Much to Wilson's annoyance but the scientist gave up on telling him to be polite for the time being). Wendy gave Willow a thankful nod, her expression staying blank. The food was all gone in practically no time at all, yet somehow they all felt their bellies filled almost completely for the first time in days. Willow wore a proud smile, not even attempting to hide her joy.

"Thank you for the nice dinner, Willow," Wendy said gratefully, looking up at the woman. Even though the words and the expression present on her face was as deadpan as always, there was something more to the tone of the little girl's voice; something that was different. It was a change that Willow definitely noticed but couldn't exactly place.

"Of course, Wendy..." Willow smiled, raising one of her eyebrows.

Wendy glanced down at her hands for a moment, her face still blank. She moved her gaze back up to Willow, asking her seriously, "Willow, could you please teach me how to cook as good as you?"

Willow had to admit, she certainly wasn't expecting her to ask that. Her grey eyes widened at her question, staring right into the girl's light blue ones out of complete surprise.

"Wendy...I...yes, my god, yes I will!" Willow giggled, the girl's question finally sinking in, "I'd really love to! Next time I cook, I'll run you through all the steps and everything. You'll be great at it in no time!"

A very tiny grin tugged at the ends of Wendy's lips, "Thank you so much, Willow...I promise that I'll listen well."

Willow nodded, suddenly getting up to walk over to Wolfgang, who'd called her over to hand her a spear he had made for her.

Wendy didn't bother looking over at the pair, deciding to instead take out the flower that Abigail had given her. She nearly dropped the flower in surprise when she saw it. The flower had changed from when she last showed it to Wolfgang: It had turned into a slightly darker pink color and the petals started to reach outwards more, as if it were doing nothing more than growing as it normally would if it were _still in the ground_. Wendy's ice-like eyes grew wide, trying to understand how such a thing was even possible.

"Hello, Miss Wendy, I was wondering if I could possibly borrow you for a moment," Wilson's voice pulled her out of her shocked trance. Wendy's head snapped in his direction, shoving the flower back into her pocket. He only raised an eyebrow at her, not even attempting to find out what it was. He wanted to respect her boundaries.

"Yes, of course...what do you need?" she asked calmly.

The older man offered her a gentle and polite smile as he sat down onto the log next to her, "I was wondering if you could show me how you made that garland on top of your head...Miss Willow and I did collect a lot of flowers today as you had suggested. I do not really understand why we did so...but you honestly seemed to be onto something...it is weird to say but even when I was picking the flowers, my mind cleared a bit. It was like the darkness...those lingering shadows itching at the corner of my eye were gone."

Wendy sat up straight, "I'm glad...that's good, I think. Anyways, I will show you how."

"Thank you, Miss Wen-"

Wilson stopped talking when he immediately heard something. At first he thought that he'd imagined the sound but he noticed Wendy's eyes darting around the area in search of any possible source. Furthermore, he also saw how Willow and Wolfgang also fell silent. The scientist looked over at the two and made eye contact with Wolfgang, who was furrowing his eyebrows in concerned curiosity. Wilson was still trying to understand what the noise was when he heard it once again.

This time, he could place it much better now that they were silent and he was actually listening for it. It was the sound of heavy breathing (Or panting, to be more accurate). The tone of the source was low and very deep, even more booming than Wolfgang's own voice. Even more alarming, it was easy to tell that the noise had gotten louder the second time around.

Wolfgang slowly started to stand up from his log, reaching into his backpack to grab his spear. Willow followed suit, nervously glancing over to Wilson. The scientist also grabbed his, hearing the noise once again before looking down at Wendy. She had stood up next to him, frozen like a statue. That's when Wilson remembered Wolfgang didn't even make her a spear yet.

Huffing nervously, Wilson immediately handed the little girl his spear to help her be able to defend herself. He took out his ax for himself to use on whatever was coming. It wasn't much but he wasn't not going to give Wendy the spear. He heard the noise again, flinching.

Suddenly (Seemingly out of nowhere) a large, black dog that was almost the same size as Wendy, ran towards Willow from out of the thick shadows of the night. Wolfgang shouted some nonsense and shoved her to the side, immediately attacking the hound with all his might. It wasn't long before three more descended from the darkness and a battle begun. The three of the survivors did their best to defend themselves, with Wendy keeping close to Wilson for protection from the beasts.

Unfortunately, the man was far too occupied to even notice her for a moment. Sadly, that was all it took for a hound to mercilessly lunge towards Wendy. Next thing Wilson knew, Wendy started screaming bloody-Mary as she could do little to defend herself against the monster. Wolfgang didn't hesitate to dash over to her to help the poor girl, killing the dog in three swift swings of his spear. The little girl was still violently crying from pain and shock, looking down at her leg in pure horror. The hound had gotten a hold of her thigh, digging its sharp teeth into her leg and making her blood gush everywhere. She was overwhelmed by the sight of her own blood dripping down onto the grass and getting all over her hands and clothes.

Wilson ended up killing the last of them, whipping his body around to run over to the crying girl. Willow also made her way over, covering her mouth at the horrid sight.

"Wilson, give me your overcoat!" Willow demanded urgently, kneeling down next to her.

He didn't hesitate to throw off the red overcoat and hand it over to Willow, leaving him in his dirty, white button up shirt. Wolfgang helped Wendy to sit upwards as best she could so Willow could use the overcoat to bandage the little girl's wound.

"Give her to me, I'll help set her down against the base tree," she told Wolfgang once she was done. The man nodded and pulled away from the girl.

Willow picked Wendy up bridal style, making her way over to the tree; leaving Wilson and Wolfgang alone.

"What the heck was that!?" Wilson yelled, his face burning with anger.

The strongman frowned, "**Puppies.**"

"No...I do not mean those...those _hounds,_" Wilson spat, "I mean, what the heck were you thinking when you decided not to give Wendy a spear?"

"**Wolfgang not giving little girl weapon!**" he grunted, "**It's against Wolfgang's morals!**"

"So what, she can't defend herself!?"

"**Not moral!**"

"You are a selfish, air-headed _fool!_"

"**Tiny scientist don't care about little girl's innocence!**"

"You do not understand the gravity of this situation! In fact, I bet that you do not understand anything, you brute!"

"**Wolfgang passed physics class!**"

"_Enough!_" Willow screamed on the top of her lungs, causing the two to jump. She had Wendy sit down and was storming over to them, "_You better shut your traps or else I will stab you to fucking death!_"

"But, Miss Willow-"

"Wilson, if you are such a gentleman then don't get so rude and pissed off; what happened to Wendy was inevitable for a fucking child in this unique circumstance," she spat before turning to Wolfgang, "But you still should've given her a damn spear, you bastard! Now, both of you need to get your heads out of your asses and calm the fuck down!"

Wilson hung his head in shame and Wolfgang let out a long sigh.

Wendy had just gotten herself calmed down when she heard the sound of barking start up once again. The other three immediately ran towards the tree she was propped up against, and circled around the plant defensively.

They didn't have to wait long until they heard another sound, one of a woman yelling.

"Get back! Get away from me!" she shouted in a posh accent.

The woman and the hound soon came into the light coming from the fire pit, in full view of everyone at the camp. The woman was old, her grey hair was pulled into a very tight bun and she had reading glasses hanging onto her nose for dear life. She was waving a torch at the hound to try and keep it away from her as she continued to flee and back away from it.

Willow gripped onto her spear tightly as she raced over to the hound. Wilson reached out for her but Wolfgang pulled him away; Willow could handle herself and Wendy couldn't do the same, not now.

Soon, the hound was lying dead on the ground and at the fire starter's feet. The woman's sharp, green eyes widened as her brain started to process where she was: surrounded by a group of people. She took in a deep breath, her eyes examining everyone carefully before her intense gaze landed on Willow.

"Hello…" Willow said gently, trying not to let her gaze wander on the woman's torch too much, "You must be shocked, I get that...we're not going to hurt you, I promise."

"Yes...I am shocked..." the woman straightened herself up as best she could, her posh accent a little more relaxed now, "But I'm also extremely grateful for your assistance...you saved my life, for that, you have earned my trust for now...er, what's your name, dear?"

"Willow, ma'am. Who are you…?"

"Wickerbottom," the woman answered, glancing over at the other three, "Ms. Wynter Wickerbottom, the librarian."

"Pleased to meet you," Willow gestured for the woman to follow her. Wickerbottom hesitated before she let Willow lead her to where the other three were and the old woman gasped at Wendy's state as she just now got a better look at it. Willow introduced her, "Everyone, this is Ms. Wynter Wickerbottom…the librarian."

"Hello to you all…" she said Politely, pulling her gaze away from Wendy's leg.

"Hello, I am Wilson Higgsbury," Wilson said, shaking the woman's hand.

"**Wolfgang,** **the strongman,**" Wolfgang boomed proudly, causing Wickerbottom to make a face.

"I'm Wendy…" the little girl said lastly.

"What happened to you…?" Wickerbottom asked shamelessly.

"**Little girl bit by puppy.**"

"Oh goodness! That's horrible! You treated the wound, right…?" the old woman asked.

"We don't have any medicine, all we could do was stop the blood flow," Willow admittedly weakly.

Wickerbottom shook her head, "Fortunately for the little darling, I know where we can get some. I had run in with some spiders two days ago, my first night here. It sounds weird but just trust me on this, they're a little bit more dangerous here...like practically everything else. Anyway, their glands can be used to heal...I know because I used one to treat a deep cut I had. I know you really have no reason to trust me... but Willow saved my life...I must return the favor and help this young girl."

"**Wolfgang thinks librarian could be valuable help to group.**"

"Thank you so much, Wickerbottom..." Willow sighed in relief, "I agree with Wolfgang...I think that you should stay with us. Strong in numbers and all that lovely crap."

"Thank you, I will," the old woman smiled.

"Thanks, Ms. Wickerbottom," Wendy said politely, trying not to show the pain in her voice.

The four of them slowly turned their attention to Wilson, who'd fallen silent.

He had a disgusted look on his face as he whined childishly, "_Spiders?_"

"Did I stutter, young man?" Wickerbottom raised a testing eyebrow, "I'm no liar or one to bluff."

"I am not going," Wilson protested, shaking his head, "Someone has to stay behind and keep an eye on Ms. Wendy anyways. If anyone is going to do it, than it is going to be me."

Willow and Wolfgang shared a glance, the fire starter shaking her head at the man's obvious discomfort towards the idea of going anywhere near spiders.

"Wilson, this place is mostly just one big forest," Willow sighed, "Spiders are going to be everywhere regardless of how different they normally are."

"Well, actually-"

"I am _not _going!" Wilson cut Wickerbottom off, crossing his arms. He huffed, impatiently handing Wickerbottom his spear, "Here, take this in case you run into trouble. I will stay behind and make another for me," he glanced at Wolfgang, "and one for Wendy."

"Why on earth would you give a weapon to a child?" Wickerbottom raised an eyebrow, turning to Willow.

She shook her head and pointed to Wendy's leg, "That's why. We're not having this discussion again."

The woman nodded her understanding, "Alright... then you, Wolfgang, and I should get going as soon as possible. We cannot leave the little girl without a treated wound for longer than we have to. Make some torches and let's please leave as soon as we can."

_Bossy, _Willow thought to herself, taking out her lighter instead of making a torch.

Wolfgang made a torch, holding it up into the air proudly, "**Wolfgang ready when kind lady and librarian are.**"

Wickerbottom and Willow nodded, with the latter glancing back at the other two before leaving the camp and getting consumed by the darkness beyond the reach of the fire's light. Wilson sighed softly, adding some fuel to the fire pit. He grabbed some supplies for the spears from the chest.

"You should get some rest, Miss Wendy," Wilson told the girl as he stood completely up, shutting the lid of the chest.

"I'm not all that tired," the little girl informed him plainly.

The scientist raised an eyebrow, "You need rest."

"So do you."

He frowned, "I did not just get injured."

"You say that like it was my choice."

"N-No!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air, "Never mind...forget I said anything, then."

Wendy watched as Wilson plopped down onto the ground next to her, leaning his back against the tree. He started working on making a spear.

"You don't get along with people very well usually, don't you?" the girl questioned out of boredom.

"I am not used to the company of others."

"You seemed to get along with Willow pretty well today, though," Wendy remembered, "You two were laughing quite a lot."

Wilson felt his breath catch in his throat, "I...well...I suppose I get along with her okay."

"She looks like she trusts you."

"I think she does," Wilson mumbled, recalling on what Willow had confessed to him.

"You must also trust her as well then?" Wendy asked.

He nodded, "Sure...I trust all of you. Maybe Ms. Wickerbottom not as much but I have to right now, for your sake. I am sure I will after a day or two, though. I just need some time to adjust."

Wendy paused before blurting, "I think that you like Willow...like, you _like _her."

If Wilson were drinking something, he would have spit it out. His face drained of any little color it had before it turned into a light shade of pink (Which did not go unnoticed by Wendy). He stopped working for a moment to rub the back of his neck, "I-I...uh, Ms. W-Wendy...I do not know i-if…"

"I think you do," she said confidently, "You two really do remind me of my parents after they were first married."

He paused, "You were born before they were married…?"

"Me and my twin were, yes. It was short-lived and they separated when I was only eight," she told him nonchalantly, "But that's besides the point. I can tell you like Willow by the way you look at her...it's very obvious. Your expression is so much more gentle when you look at her."

"I...I guess I never even thought about her that way before…" Wilson muttered, gears starting to turn inside his head.

"I think she likes you too," Wendy told him.

"I think you are pulling my leg, Ms. Wendy," Wilson shook his head, "If anything, Ms. Willow would like Wolfgang like that...I mean, they get along very well together. Did you not see how they talked the other night?"

"I know you were jealous of him when they chatted...it was practically written across your face in bright lettering."

"Oh shut up about it, please…" he mumbled grumpily, "Anyways, I appreciate your efforts but even if I did like her like that...and I do _not,_" his face flushed more, "I have not known her for very long...it would be nothing but a silly crush at this point, and realistically, it would go nowhere."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the very few relationships I have had in the past, have been terrible and very short-lived."

"But Willow could be different…"

"_Ms. Wendy,_" he said sternly, "drop it...please, just drop it."

The girl sighed, shaking her head.

Feeling a little guilty for getting frustrated with her, he changed the subject, "How is your leg feeling?"

"Like crap."

"Ms. Wendy, if you are going to pick anything up from Ms. Willow, please have it be anything but her potty mouth," he begged, "it is not ladylike."

"Hmph," she crossed her arms, "Why do you keep calling us 'Ms.'?"

"Because it is the gentlemanly and polite thing to do."

"Wolfgang doesn't do that."

"Excuse me, Ms. Wendy but do you honestly believe _Wolfgang _is any bit of a gentleman?" he asked.

The girl opened her mouth to answer but then closed it, defeated. No one could ever try to make an argument about the strongman being a gentleman.

"Yes, that is what I thought," Wilson chuckled, earning a smile from the young girl.

"So...then, what do you think of Wickerbottom?" she asked.

"I do not know," he said honestly before putting on a playful expression, "Do not dare try and tell me that I like her too."

Wendy let out some giggles, causing the man's smile to widen.

"No, I wasn't trying to imply that at all," she told him.

"Good," he said. Wilson then suddenly exclaimed dramatically, putting a hand over his heart, "Because I simply could never like her or Ms. Willow in such a way! I am head over heels for no one other than Wolfgang!"

"Oh shut it, Wilson!" she laughed, holding her stomach.

Wilson also laughed, wiping a tear from his eye, "Sorry...I could not resist."

"It's alright," she giggled, "I mean, who needs a relationship when you're already married to science?"

"Exactly! I-" he cut himself off, noticing the sarcastic tone of her voice, "Hey...no need to mock me like that."

"You actually think like that?" she snorted, trying not to laugh this time, "I mean...I know you said that when we first met but I didn't think you were being serious about it."

"Maybe…"

"Oh my god...Wilson," she shook her head, "That's...uh, that's really sad."

"Eh, I am used to being alone anyways."

"That doesn't mean you should be alone, though," Wendy told him.

"But I do not click well with people-"

"You click along well with me," she cut in, making him fall silent. She continued with a cheeky grin on her face, "And you certainly get along well with Willow, lover boy."

Wilson's eyes widened in disbelief as the girl could hardly breathe from laughing so hard.

"_Ms. Wendy!_" he shouted, his face burning red.

* * *

As the sun was starting to rise up over the horizon, the whispers coming from the shadows soon died down and the three put away their light sources. The grass that Wickerbottom, Wolfgang, and Willow were walking on grew darker, and the trees around them grew in number as they found themselves deep in a forest. Wickerbottom kept on leading the way confidently, Willow nervously followed close behind and Wolfgang held up the rear with his hands casually shoved in his pockets.

"You sure you remember where we're going?" Willow asked Wickerbottom.

"I'm positive," she answered, not looking over at the younger woman, "I have never forgotten a place I've been to before in my life. I know we just met but you can trust me, dear. I know what I'm doing, especially when a child is depending on me to help her."

Willow sighed but nodded anyways, her gaze leading downwards.

Wickerbottom glanced at Willow, "Don't hang your head like that, dear. It's bad for your neck."

Willow stopped looking down at her feet and cleared her throat, embarrassed, "Oh...I'm sorry."

"Just keep your eye out for anything, dear."

"Yes, ma'am," Willow nodded, suddenly being reminded of her mother. She couldn't tell if it was a pleasant or not.

Willow found herself looking around the area, as they were now completely surrounded by trees. The three awkwardly maneuvered around them in anything but a straight line. Willow made a face, taking a mental note of how the number of spiderwebs increased drastically. _Ugh, _she thought, _I should've made Wilson come with, that damn pussy...then I wouldn't have to be out here doing this. _

She kept reminding herself that she was doing this for Wendy but every time she saw another spider web it only got harder for her to understand why she was out there. It was selfish and Willow mentally beat herself up over it.

Wickerbottom suddenly stopped abruptly and Willow nearly ran into her. Wolfgang gasped and Willow nodded, "Yeah, I get it big guy...spiderwebs are everywhere…" Wolfgang shook his head but Willow continued on anyways, "Wickerbottom, how come you stopped walking?"

Wickerbottom harshly gestured for Willow to stay silent, bending down a little bit so the young woman could see why.

A few trees out, there was a decent sized clearing in the forest. It was mostly filled with flowers, mushrooms, and berry bushes. But Willow immediately knew why Wickerbottom shushed her, the real reason why the strongman had gasped in the first place. There was a big, sticky-looking ball planted on the ground made of nothing other than spiderwebs. The base had another little web ball resting on top of it. All around the nest, the ground was completely covered in webs.

"_Holy shit,_" Willow mumbled, covering her mouth with her hand, "I think I'm going to be sick…"

"Like I had said earlier...I had a run in with one of these," Wickerbottom reminded them, "However, that nest was much smaller, about half the size of Wendy. But it shouldn't be that big of a deal since there's three of us...but I might be wrong so stay on guard. Grab your spears and stick behind me as I approach it."

"**Wolfgang and kind lady need spears for little spiders?**"

"You'll need them, trust me," Wickerbottom said, starting to walk towards the spider den.

Willow and Wolfgang shared a glance before taking the old woman's words for it, taking out their spears. The three slowly shuffled their way towards the nest and Willow could've sworn that she saw the thing twitch.

The exact moment Wickerbottom stepped onto one of the spiderwebs, a hissing noise came from the nest. Two, one-foot tall spiders with ugly black hair and sharp teeth, emerged from the den and Willow fought the urge to scream at the sight.

Wickerbottom fiercely swung her spear at one of the creatures, causing more of them to descend from out of the den. One literally jumped out towards Willow; half of this particular spider's body was this disgusting green color. The three immediately got to fighting them, the spiders being fairly easy to kill. Wickerbottom got the closest to the nest, using the spear Wilson had given to her to destroy it.

Soon, each of the spiders were dead and the nest was gone. Wickerbottom quickly got to work collecting the silk left behind by the spiders and the nest while Willow helped grab the glands for Wendy, much to her disgust. When they were done, Willow gave Wickerbottom the glands and she put the supplies in her backpack.  
They looked over and saw Wolfgang kneeling over a plant with a curious look on his face.

"Wolfgang, let's go!" Willow sighed impatiently.

He grunted and plucked the plant out of the ground. The white plant (or creature) let out a shriek, causing everyone to plug their ears at the loud noise. Wolfgang dropped it and the thing ran around in a circle for a moment before screaming again, dropping dead on the ground.

"I've...never seen such a peculiar little thing," Wickerbottom's eyes widened. She looked at Willow for help but the fire starter could only shrug.

"**Wolfgang will call it mandrake,**" he smiled fondly.

"Why would you…? Actually, whatever," Willow sighed, "Bring it to Wilson so he can take a look at it...and _do not_ eat it."

"Why take it to Higgsbury?" Wickerbottom questioned.

"He's a scientist."

"Oh…" Wickerbottom nodded, "I see…"

"Anyways," Willow sighed, "No more dilly dallying, let's get back...Wendy needs us."

* * *

**Jesus, I've get been on fire these past few days. I haven't been as busy lately so I have had more than plenty of time to write and I wanted to make up for leaving y'all hanging for so long last time. **

**Review goal: 17 (Wow, you guys shattered my expectations last time! Thank you so much for your support!)**

**Thank you for reading!**

**-BaagelScribbles**

**:3**


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